An Enemy Unknown
by Titan Rebel
Summary: When Rebecca discovers she's the daughter of Kronos her whole world turns upside down. Her only comfort resides in a traitor, and all her terror resides in a hero. Rated T for lenience reasons
1. Running to a New Life

**Part 1: The Lightning Thief  
**

Percy Jackson; the hero, right? Wrong! I hate that little bastard. Sure, at first glance he seems like a sweet kid, but beware, for once you turn your back hell stab you in it. He did it once to me, who's to say he won't do it again?

The name's Rebecca Vise, I spent close to 9 years of my life shifting from one foster home to the next. Adoption was a hopeless dream, I've been kicked out of every foster and group home I've been to, and if not kicked out, then it was me who ran. Let's face it; I've never fit in, raging fights with the other kids doesn't exactly earn you a gold star or foster child of the year. I'm alone in this world, I always have been, and I always will be.

This is what I thought up until June 3, 2005, two weeks to my 14th birthday. It was on this day that I became the girl with many foes and little fear, with many talents and few weaknesses. It was that day that I became Rebecca Vise, Demigod daughter of the Titan lord, Kronos.

...

I layed on my small, hard bed, covers pushed off due to the humid June air. I stared at the crack forming in the ceiling above; restlessly I came to my feet, ducking my head awkwardly to avoid the low ceiling. The crack was mere inches from my face. I tilted my head to get a closer look at the chipping paint. Just seeing that flap of paint there drove me crazy, like most imperfections. If I see something even _slightly_ amiss I will do everything in my power to fix it, trust me, I've stopped rocket launches before. Don't ask how. My teachers have requested to all my foster parents to get an ADHD test done on me but of course they're too cheap for even that.

Just as I lifted my right index finger to remove the problem I heard a knock at my door. Leaping off my bed I shouted, "Come in." Landing in front of the door I realized that it was my foster brother, Alexander Rideau. The door opened and I rose and eyebrow, "Yes?"

"Um...I just came to check on you, I heard your bed squeaking like mad. I was worried he..." Alex gestured down the hall to where my foster dad's bedroom was located. "You know..."

Yeah, I did know. My current step father was a pervert, that's why he wanted to be a foster parent. He hid pornography all over the house. Trust me, that's _not_ something you want to find when you're looking for your toothbrush in the morning. Lucky for me, Kandas, my 15-year-old foster sister, had some nice 34Ds that were way more appealing than my 32As. The only reason he kept Alex was to hide from suspicious eyes.

Alex was almost two years older than me and had acted as my "guardian" from William since I arrived three months prior. Sadly, his scrawny figure and pale freckled face was less intimidating than a bee without it's stinger.

"I'm fine Alex, I was just–"

"What is going on in here?" William burst through the door which Alex had closed mere seconds ago.

"Oh...uh, I–was–just..." Alex stammered.

"...Leaving," William gestured for Alex's departure. He shut the door, leaving us alone in the room.

I glared up into my foster father's beady brown eyes. He slicked his greasy brown hair back with his meaty hands.

I swallowed hard as he backed me further into my room. My pulse quickened. My body temperature rose, I screwed my eyes shut ready for whatever was to come, and then everything went completely and absolutely still.

As I opened my eyes I caught a whiff of William's dreadful cologne. It reminded me of a bag full of used cat litter, I was appalled. Hastily, I squirmed away from my guardian's frozen figure and ran as fast as I could down the hall and into Alex's room. It was almost identical to mine; one bed, one dresser, and one light. He layed on his bedside reading a poetry book as usual; next to him sat a brown tattered notebook, which he didn't dare let me touch, ever.

My breathing had finally returning to normal, a loud crash came from my room, Alex glanced up at me in shock. "What was that?"

"Alex..." I tried to tell him what happened, I wanted him to know, but felt like he shouldn't, like it was crucial for him to not know.

"Rebecca? What happened? He didn't hurt you, did he?" His tone was filled with concern.

"Um...no, but..." Another crash sounded from the hall, Alex bolted to his feet.

"Rebecca, we have to go." A low growl came from outside the door. "Right now!" As quick as a ray of sun, Alex tossed his books into a black satchel and threw it over his shoulder. From his top drawer her produced a long wooden bow and a quiver full of arrows. I simply stood there, my jaw gaping in awe.

"Come on," Alex flew open the door, only to find William standing there, hand on hips, and teeth bearing. I had never realized just how tall he was, I mean, I'm quite above average height myself, but he must've been at least seven feet tall.

Alex, however, didn't seem to be shocked at all, he simply drew one of his many bows and shot it right between his eyes, yet it confused me further when the arrow began to move, like it was stuck in his eye. Suddenly, the strangest thing happened; as Alex fled the scene, dragging me carelessly behind him, I glanced back to see the arrow caught in one massive eye planted in the centre of my guardian's face.

Alex had taken me to the airport where he bought us each a ticket to Ne York. I had a bazillion and one questions for him: Why did he shoot our foster parent? Why were we going to the United States? I liked Canada very much! Where did he get that money? And could I _please_ change out of my pajamas? But all he would say was, "You'll find out everything you need to know soon enough." Which really perturbed me, but I knew better than to pester Alex.

...

The plane ride was a bore; I tried to sleep, but found it impossible, so I spent the duration of the flight reading one of Alex's poetry books, although I found them horrific.

Once we landed, Alex hailed us a taxi, which took us out to the middle of nowhere. We were dropped off at the bottom of a large hill, scattering where we stood was nothing but dense forest, but atop the hill stood a single, perfect pine tree. I decided it would make a great Christmas tree, Dr Seuss' Who's would be jealous.

I turned to Alex, waiting for him to get back in the taxi relaying that this was simply a nice breath of fresh air. Instead, he paid the driver and we began our assent to meet Cindy Lou Who herself.

A few minutes later I stood at the crest of the hill, next to me was the pine tree, but no Who's. Alex breathed in the fresh air as he stood overlooking a camp of some sort. There was a huge farmhouse at the bottom of the hill and just a few meters away, there were about twelve cabins, but none of them looked the same, they all had their own theme. It would have been a very peaceful spot, but there was something wrong. I couldn't quite place it, but it just didn't feel right.

Alex began to walk slowly down the hill towards the house and reluctantly, I followed. As we crossed the field the porch became more focused, and I made out a group of boys, all about sixteen, huddled together. They were all top-less and wearing baggy track pants in different shades of brown, yellow and red. I approached them with caution. Then I realized that they weren't just top-less, they were bottom-less. Now, it's not like they were being indecent of anything, because what was there was hair, goat hair at that. And they had hooves and horns. They reminded me of Mr. Tumnus from Narnia. Alex gave them a friendly wave and his shimmering smile.

I was debating whether or not to run when I heard the sound of a horse galloping towards me from the direction of the cabins. I turned to see an older man on horseback. No, he wasn't on horseback, but rather his back was the horse. He was human from the waist up, but where his legs should have been was the body of a horse. There was no more need for debating, I took one last look at the Mr. Tumnus look-a-likes and booked it.

Unfortunately, they had noticed me too and I could sense Alex turning to me with a look of disappointment. I could hear my heart beating in my ears as I ran up the hill towards the tree. I took one look behind me and that was my first mistake. The horseman was fast approaching on me and before I could even see the road he snatched me by the back of my shirt and held me in midair.

"Let go of me, you bastard." I shouted. So he did. I fell to the ground, but before I could gather my bearings I felt two strong hands grasp my arms and hold me in a lock. I tried to squirm away, to lessen the grip, but it was no good. I was trapped.

"Wow, easy there. Don't want to hurt yourself now," the voice came from behind me; I turned to see who held me. I had never seen such a face; his face was slim with short blond hair enveloping his being, and those eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes that shone in the sunset. There was only one flaw that I could see. A long, jagged scar ran from his right brow, across his eye, to his left cheek.

I was stunned, where in the hell was I? "Just let me go, you pathetic meat sack," I don't know who I was aiming that at, but I didn't want to aim it at the boy.

"You're not going to run again, are you?" The horseman asked me.

I said nothing.

"Rebecca?"

I looked up in bewilderment, "How did...?"

"How did I know your name?"

I nodded

"Because I know you. You and Luke here aren't that different."

I looked at my captor. "No, we're very different, because I wouldn't hold a fourteen year old girl in a death grip, for no apparent reason," I said with annoyance in my voice.

Luke looked at the horseman for guidance, "You can let her go, she's not going to run anymore," he told Luke, and I didn't. I just walked up to the horseman, looked him up and down, and spoke three simple words. "What are you?"

"Rebecca," Alex panted as he reached the crest of the hill, "What were you thinking?"

I turned to him and was preparing to speak when the horseman but in. "It's okay, Alexander, I think she was just a little overwhelmed. Isn't that right, Rebecca?"

"Um, yeah, I-"

"Listen Alex," Luke gripped his shoulder, " You must be tired. Why don't you head back to your cabin? Your bunk mates are missing you. We can take care of her."

Alex focused his glimmering eyes at me for approval and I nodded. He then slowly made his decent down the hill and towards the cabins.

"_So_," I emphasized the word as to remind the others of my presence. "Could someone _please_ tell me where the heck I am?"

The old man just laughed, it was a warm laugh, full of joy. "My dear child, you're at Camp Half-Blood. My name is Chiron, and I am the activities director here."

I shook my head in confusion. "Camp Half-_What_?"

"Half-Blood," Luke's voice chimed in, "It's another word for someone who's half mortal and half god.

"What? I must have misheard you, I thought you said half _god_."

"No-"

"I think that's quite enough questions for now," Chiron cut in.

"What...but...where..."

"I have to go to an archery lesson. Luke, if you wouldn't mind taking Miss Vise to the Big House."

"Sure, Chiron." And just like that I was on my way to a strange farmhouse, in Manhattan, with a boy who I didn't even know. There were so many questions I wanted answered. Like: Why does Alex have a bow and arrow? What was wrong here, I knew there was something not quite right, but what? Why the heck was the activities director of this camp a centaur? And was Luke single?

* * *

**Hey, if you're familiar with my stories you may recognize this one, that's cause it's a revisation of 'The Other Side.' You may notice some odd spelling of certain words, and that would be the Canadian spelling, so no need to fret :) I'll try to update it soon too. Hope you like it!  
**


	2. The Man in the Zebra Jogging Suit

**If you're one of those people who don't like change of perspective, then sorry. I'll try to refrain from doing it as much as I can. Enjoy!**

* * *

(Percy's POV)

I was on my way back to cabin eleven when I noticed commotion atop Half-Blood Hill. I squinted to view the sight; Luke and Chiron raced after a girl dress in black pajamas with long red hair. I was ready to follow them and to find out what was going on when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"Percy." Grover shouted as he trotted towards me from the dining pavilion. "What are you doing?" He asked quizzically.

"Oh…um…Over on the hill," I managed, "What's happening?"

Grover seemed as confused as I felt, after a long look at the girl he finally breathed, "Oh no."

"What?" My ADHD began to kick in; I could not hold focus much longer, but Grover didn't seem to notice. He had been so worried about me lately, but now he didn't seem to care at all. His gaze remained fixed on the hill.

"Percy," Grover raced over his words, "Go back to cabin eleven and stay there."

With that he took off and I was alone, as he pranced over to the hill Chiron raced down it towards me.

I stopped him in his tracks, determined to get an answer. "Chiron?"

"What is it Percy?" Although he stood directly in front of me he seemed far away, like his mind was somewhere else.

"What's going o–" I cut myself short when I noticed Luke leading the girl towards the Big House. From a closer distance she looked about sixteen with a tall and slender body. As they continued to the Big House she shot a glance at me; her eyes were a piercing gold colour that I had never seen before. I found myself thinking of her possible heritage, but stopped as her gaze increased in ferocity. I found myself standing there in a cold sweat, unable to move, unable to think.

(Rebecca's POV)

As I continued my humiliating decent down to the farmhouse I began to feel a bruise forming at the small of my back where Luke kept jabbing me with the butt of his sword. I decided that he must be really paranoid to be carrying a sword around with him, hot, nonetheless, but paranoid. All right, I was falling for this guy that I had just met and for that short duration of time he had been the direct cause of my torment. I wasn't sure if it was his gorgeous blonde hair or his sparkling blue eyes that I couldn't resist. He must've been at least three years older than me, no, that couldn't be it; somehow I knew that he was nineteen. I could _see_ the past years of his life flash before my eyes like a preview for a thriller. From the moment he was born to what he had done mere seconds prior; I could see it all. So, if he was nineteen, then my being fourteen would add five years apart…was that too much?

Just then I caught the eyes of a young boy standing in the fields talking to Chiron. He had shaggy black hair and eyes like the ocean. A plain red T-shirt clung to his skin hovering over tattered blue jeans. I let my gaze linger on him for a long moment as he stood completely and utterly still, but just then Luke gave me a hard shove with his sword and I stumbled into the farmhouse.

"Hey!" I jumped back in pain. "That hurt."

He let out a small chuckle and shut the door behind him. Through a small window in the door I could see the forest residing about twenty feet from the house. It was vast and I contemplated racing towards the thick brush to escape, but decided that anyone who knew the area would be able to catch me. Then a thought occurred to me; what if I repeated what I had done to William? Before I could entertain the idea any further I felt a warm breeze inch across the back of my neck. I spun briskly on my heel, letting my hair flood across Luke's face.

"Not planning on running away again, are you?" He was mere inches from my face, I could see his scar clearer than ever; it was white with age but still brutal.

I directed a cold glare into his blue eyes, "Maybe I am. Sue me!"

Obnoxious laughter came from within the house. I peaked over Luke's broad shoulders to see a middle aged man sprawled out over a ratty old sofa. The man wore a blue, zebra-print jogging suit that reminded me of my seventh grade math teacher. Next to the sofa sat a brown, walnut coffee table covered with Coca-Cola bottles.

Luke rolled his eyes and turned to face the man. "Mr. D, um..." he paused, "This is Rebecca." His words came in a rush.

"Uh-huh…" Mr. D rose to his feet and proceeded towards me, eyes measuring me from top to bottom and back again measuring every inch of my shape-less figure.

"Hey, dude," I protested in disgust, "You got a problem?"

His gaze met mine and he tilted his head in awe, "You've got gold eyes," he pointed out.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Mr. D," Luke intervened before he could answer. "She just arrived with Alex."

"Alex?" Mr. D looked dumb-founded.

"Alexander Rideau…" Luke seemed to be getting perturbed with the man's stupidity. "Son of Apollo…?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah Castellan. The francophone."

Luke looked at me as if to say, _can you believe this guy?_ And I really couldn't. It always tugged at my heartstrings when people made fun of Alex's accent. He said that he was born in Quebec, but when his parent's were deemed 'incapable' of taking care of him he was forced to move in with his aunt and uncle in Toronto. Then, when he was fourteen he ran away and that's when he went into foster care. Constantly, he struggled to keep his accent, but I never truly understood why. Most of the kids in foster care tried to forget their parents ever existed, but it seemed almost as if Alex was holding onto them. I was in the middle of coming up with a way to get back at the man when he interrupted my thought process.

"Has she been claimed yet?" Mr. D reluctantly asked Luke.

"Um...No, sir," Luke seemed to be getting more weary by the second.

"Well then why are you still here?" He questioned Luke with great annoyance. "Go on and fetch Chiron!"

Without a single word of argument Luke left. As I heard the final click of the door closing behind me my heart sank. I dreaded to face the fact that I wasn't going anywhere, but it was true, I was stuck there.

"Now," Mr. D returned to his place on the sofa, "If you would take a seat so that we can get on with this." He casually waved towards a large chair that matched the hideous sofa.

Taking a final deep breath, I nervously sank into the chair and waited.

* * *

**Apologies for the long wait, I've been busy studying for exams...hopefully it won't take this long to post the chapters in the future... :)**


	3. Just a Little Chat

**Sorry, it took longer to finish this chapter then intended, hopefully the delay for chapter 4 won't be as long. Enjoy!

* * *

**

As I sat in the ever-brightening room of the farmhouse I began to wonder if I was dreaming. Was I actually fast asleep in my small room at William's house, awaiting his intrusion? I wasn't sure which one I'd prefer; living with William, Kandas and Alex or being at this random camp with weird creatures and random kids running all over the place, and not to mention the creepy-old guy in the jogging suit. Both circumstances slightly frightened me. Truthfully, they terrified me half to death. I wished that my life could just return to the way it was before I was put into foster care. How I longed for those days to return when I was alone with actual parents to take care of me. Michael and Sarah may have not been my biological parents, but they had raised me from a weak, little baby, who's mother died in childbirth and who's father was nowhere to be found, until I was six years old. It was the most devastating day of my life, and as I grow I begin to recall more and more of the terrible events that lead to the death of my parents.

Just as I wiped a tear, which I had promised myself never to shed, from my face the door opened with a long _creak._

I turned my gaze toward the door where Luke came through pushing a man in a wheelchair. The man had ratty white hair and looked so frail that he might fall to pieces any moment. As he lifted his head to look at me a shock of bewilderment hit me like a jet; he was the man who had chased me on the hill, he was Chiron, the centaur.

_Okay, _I thought, _I've got to be dreaming._

As Luke parked Chiron next to the sofa I took in a shaky breath. "So," I began as I stared at Luke leaning over the sofa. "Now that the whole _ensemble_ is here, can someone _finally_ tell me what the _hell _is going on?"

Chiron exchanged a worrisome look with Mr. D before speaking. "Rebecca, take a breath, it's okay."

"Is it now?" I was not going to let this man walk all over me like a little puppet. "Tell me, how the _hell_ is it okay? Only a matter of hours ago I was running away from my guardian who I _swear_ looked like a Cyclopes or something. Now I'm forced into this rackety old farmhouse that looks like it could fall down any moment. So, _please_ continue."

Chiron drew a shocked gaze upon me, mouth gaping open, but he did not speak. Instead, Luke spoke, his voice more confident then before, "Hey, Rebecca, right?"

I nodded.

"He's right, it's okay, you're safe now," I noticed that he was avoiding eye contact with the two men in fear of being cut short. "So, you know on the hill, how you were asking about the camp? Well, half-blood is another word for-"

"Luke," Chiron cut in, "This is not your place to be explaining anything." Luke quickly shut up and ventured to lean against the back wall. "Now, Rebecca. I take it you have by now met our camp director, Mr. D."

I cleared my throat and spoke, my voice unsure, "Uh, yeah…"

"Wonderful! Mr. D is-"

"Here on probation," Luke finished seemingly to agitate the others.

"Castellan! If you speak out of term once more I will personally-" but Mr. D's threat was cut short.

"Mr. D," Chiron glanced at me, "We don't want to startle out new camper here, do we?"

"Oh, right."

"Startle me or not," I began, "Whatever you need to tell me just get it over with." My gaze drifted towards Mr. D. "And would you _quit_ bickering with each other."

Mr. D let out a huge laugh at that. "I like this one, Chiron. She's got attitude. Well, go on, tell the girl what she wants to know."

Chiron nodded and turned to me almost apologetically. "Alright Rebecca, do you know anything about the gods?"

"Well that depends…which ones? Roman, Greek, Egyptian, what?"

He shook his head as if he had never thought such a question existed "Um…Greek, of course."

"A little, but what does that have to do with _anything?_"

"Well…"

"For Zeus' sake," Luke stepped out from the dark corner of the room and knelt down in front of me, his beautiful eyes gazing into mine. "Rebecca, the Greek gods are real and from time to time they have kids, half-bloods, like us."

"Luke-" Chiron tried to cut in but Luke would not have it.

"We all have one god parent and one regular parent. But, we are powerful; we can do certain things that no regular person can do. We also have certain…" He closed his eyes in thought, "I'm going to be blunt with you; we have _monsters_ after us. All they want is to kill us; we're in danger wherever we go. That's why you have to stay, because this is the only place that you are safe."

I couldn't take my eyes off of him, this was too much for be to bear. I placed my hands on top of his, which were now resting upon my knees as a form of comfort, but the moment was cut short by Mr. D's anger.

"**Castellan! That is enough!"**

Luke stood to his full height and stared down at Mr. D, who still lounged on the sofa, and stormed towards the door to leave. As he yanked it open a small faun-like creature fell in, he was just like the ones that I saw earlier, I stood up in alarm.

"Grover!" Luke said in shock.

"Mr. Underwood, just what is it that you think you are doing?" Mr. D asked in a very displeased tone.

"I-I um…I was just…" the faun stuttered.

"Grover," Luke said, "Why don't we go for a walk."

The faun, Grover, just glared at me with wide eyes and sniffed the air. Following his nose, he traveled the length of the room towards me.

"Look, faun, or whatever you are," I said, pushing him away from me. "If there is one thing that I hate most, it's a furry, goat _thing_ staring at me and sniffing me. _ Got it?_"

"Oh…I'm sorry, but I'm not a faun, I'm a satyr," he said proudly. "You're a half-blood," it was more a question than a statement.

"Yeah, so I've been told," I glanced at Chiron out of the corner of my eye who wasn't in his wheel chair anymore. I glanced back again, "What the…?" He stood there in full centaur form.

"Oh, sorry Rebecca. Did I shock you with my transformation?"

"No," I said. "Well, yeah, of course you did…this is becoming way too much…" I sunk back to my place into the chair.

Grover didn't seem to notice, he just stared at me and said, "Something smells like monsters."

"_What?_"

"Grover, that's impossible. There are no monsters at camp: you know that. The only ones here are two half-bloods, a centaur, a god and you. No monsters."

I perked up at this, I was curious if my ears had misled me. "Did you just say god?" I stared at Mr. D, "Of what?"

"Wine, I am Dionysus, of course," he said proudly.

"Dionysus," I rolled the name around in my mouth.

By this time Grover was mere inches form my face. "What the hell do you think you are doing you little-"

"You smell like a monster," he said in distaste.

"Fuck off," he didn't seem to notice my anger; he just stared at Chiron with a questioning look on his face.

As Grover stared at Chiron I stared at Luke pleadingly. I had never trusted many people in my life, but there was something about Luke that I could not keep from trusting.

"Grover," Luke said.

Grover stepped out of his trance. "Oh," he stared up at me. "Sorry."


	4. Freeze Frame

(Percy's POV)

I sat on the old sleeping bag, which I had just rolled up in preparation for my move to cabin three. Since Poseidon claimed me many things have changed and my cabin just so happened to be one of the many changes. It had all happened so fast; I could see my life flash before my eyes after the hellhound attack, then as soon as I entered the water I was fine; all my wounds were healed. It's odd to think that I am the son of the seas god and I can't help being angry with him for leaving my mom and me like that, oh my mom…

Just as grief began to overwhelm me Luke entered the cabin in a furry, he had a furious glare in his eyes, which caused everyone to shy away from him. No words escaped his pierced lips as he grabbed his sword, which lay in a heap on his crowded bunk, and stormed back out into the afternoon heat.

Abandoning my packing, which hadn't taken long, I raced after him. "Luke," I shouted. "Luke, wait up!" He stopped reluctantly and turned toward me, the anger slightly faded from his face.

"Percy," he sounded agitated. "What do you wan? Don't you have to pack up you stuff? You're moving into cabin three now, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but I kind of finished…"

"Oh," it was barely one word but he seemed frustrated and even jealous.

"What's going on in there?" I jutted my head at the Big House eager with anticipation.

Luke sighed, "Let's just say you're not the only new and, and you're not the only problem."

"What does that mean?" I asked, anger building inside of me

He laughed, which I thought odd. "Why don't you go to the Big House and see for yourself." With that he started towards the sword arena again and left me to wonder what in the Hades was going on.

(Rebecca's POV)

I sat there in the farmhouse, eyeing my surrounding; everything from the old fireplace to the grandfather clock counting the seconds. Mr. D and Chiron talked vigorously as Grover pouted in the corner. I was so nervous, I could hardly hold myself together but I didn't dare to show it. Then the door opened again and in stepped a boy about twelve years old. I recognized him as the boy who had stated at me in the field what seemed like hours ago.

Chiron turned to him, "Hello Percy, do you need help being moved into your cabin?"

"Um, no," the boy said, "I think I'm alright."

"Then what is it Johnson?" Mr. D spat out with obvious irritation. The boy, Percy, just looked at me with curious green eyes.

"Honestly," I said. "What is with everyone here and staring at me like I'm some sort of mutant alien?"

Chiron shot me a warning glance and then turned back to Percy. "Percy, this is Rebecca. She's new here, could you show her around a bit?"

"Um…I would but…"

"Oh, sorry! I almost forgot! Rebecca, Percy just started camp about a week ago so he's not too sure about things himself."

Percy gave me a polite smile with I rejected and turned back to face he clock.

"Grover," Chiron went on, "Could you bring Rebecca to cabin eleven for now and then help Percy move into cabin three?" Chiron said to Grover in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?" Grover shrieked as he submerged from his dark corner. 'Oh, sure!"

With that I was being beckoned out the door and towards the cabins.

All of the cabins seemed to have a different theme. Grover said it was based on the gods of Olympus. They were placed in a large U-shape with a patch of luscious green grass in the centre. As we walked along the grass and past numerous benches I froze at a small fire where I could see the faint outline of a small girl tending the flames. She had long auburn hair, much darker than my own, but still that radiant red shade. I bent low and reached out a curious hand to touch the girl's holographic image but hastily pulled back as the flames lurched towards me. Startled, jumped back and stumbled on a small stone. I wait for the impact of the hard ground but it never came; a pair of strong arms hefted me back onto my feet. I turned to view the face of my rescuer and found Percy's sea green eyes shyly looking into mine.

"Thanks for that," I breathed.

"No problem. You're not crazy, you know?"

I squinted at him, "What do you mean?"

"I've seen her too, but I've never seen the flames-"

"Percy, Rebecca, come on!" Grover shouted across the pitch.

Smiling, we sped ahead to catch up with Grover.

"Cabin eleven's for children of Hermes," Grover explained when we reached him, "But since he's the god of travelers he takes in the undetermined too; the strays."

"What do you mean by 'undetermined'?" I asked hesitantly.

"Half-bloods who don't know who their divine parent is."

I nodded as we stopped in front of a beaten-down, old cabin with a gold number eleven fastened on the door.

Grover knocked and the door was opened by a small girl no older than ten with long, blond hair in pigtails, her grey eyes were gleaming with excitement.

"Hi Grover! Hey Percy! Who's this?" She pointed a nosey finger at me.

"Chessy, this is Rebecca," Grover explained slowly.

"Regular or undetermined?" A blond-haired head peaked around the door. He had blue eyes very similar to Luke's.

"Undetermined…" Grover answered solemnly.

"Pity." Came another head just below the first, their faces were so similar I could tell that they were twins. "Better come in."

Chessy opened the door to grant me passage and took my hand lightly to guide me in.

The cabin was over-flowing with campers and bunks. I felt my blood pressure rising with hatred for the crowd. Grover was introducing me to the twins, Conner and Travis Stoll; Chessy grabbed my hand and smile up at me, a look of admiration in her eyes.

Unaware of my surrounding I shook many hands and was shown many things, but I was oblivious to it all. Knees quivering my temperature began to rise. I could no longer feel my hand in Chessy's, or my feet on the cluttered floor or Percy's hand on my shoulder, the room was spinning and everything was mashed together. I screwed my eyes shut and suddenly it all stopped. My heartbeat returned to normal and I opened my eyes to see that everything had gone completely and utterly still.


	5. Origin Unknown

**Srry for the long wait. Here's the next chpt!

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I stood in the silence, glancing around at each face, all frozen in time with various expressions vastly shown. My mind became a mess of questions so jumbled together that they could not form correctly. I took a deep breath in hopes of calming the ever-increasing pain in my gut, but it failed to subside. Panicking, I tried to make this charade end, but it refused to, I could not control it anymore than I could control the weather.

Blotchy patches blinded my sight; they grew larger and larger until I could no longer see the frozen forms of the campers. Then came the soft sound of breathing and I began to hear them come back to normal speed. Their limbs slowly began to move as I let out a long sigh of relief. Just as I began to think that it was all going to be okay the crashing sound of a horse galloping toward the cabin sounded. I could barely hear the door slam open as I fell hard to the damp floor of the cabin.

I awoke to a cold embrace clasped to my left wrist. Eye-lids heavy with drowsiness I peered out of them to view a cuff holding fast to my wrist, the other end gripping a metal bed post of which I found my aching body laid upon. I opened my eyes fully to view a small room with cold cement walls and a heavy metal door at the foot of the bed. There was nothing else in the room; the only light came in from a small window high upon the wall.

I began to wonder what had happened until I remembered the Hermes cabin and that I had frozen over two-dozen campers in time. I remembered their frozen faces staring blankly at me and the angry hoof beats which could have belonged to none other than the activities director, Chiron.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and attempted to wriggle my hand out of the cuff, but only managed to redden my wrist in the process. Releasing the cuff in anguish I began to shake it, vigorously emitting the screech of metal against metal throughout the room. Without reason or purpose I began to shout. I was not aware of what I was shouting or for how long, but after my head was aching from the rattling of the metal and my throat was dry from screaming, the door slowly opened and in-stepped four agitated characters.

"What is with all the racket, Rebecca?" said Chiron as Alex, who was focusing intently on the chair, wheeled him in.

"_The racket,_" I didn't even try to minimize my frustration,"Is about _you _shoving _me_ in this god-forsaken room chained to this ratty old cot!"

"Is that really necessary?" Luke asked as he entered the now-crowded cell.

"Well, of course it is, Castellan!" Mr. D had been ahead of Luke, arms crossed and eyes furious.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"Because," Alex's gaze slowly rose to meet mine, "You can control time, Rebecca." Although he was now looking at me, he did not seem content upon it.

"Yeah, _so?_"

"So, you didn't tell me!"

"Alex!" Luke cut in, and drew Alex closer to him, "Maybe she didn't know herself."

"_Maybe._" Mr. D did not seemed to be fond of me at this point.

"Mr. D," said Chiron, "Do you have something to say?"

"Yes, I do," he stepped out of his dark corner. "It's true, maybe she didn't know, but _maybe_ she did, and _maybe_ she is working with her **father!**"

"_What?_" I said at once, for that was the only word that I could manage to say.

Luke's blue eyes grew wide and he threw his hair back in surprise. "You mean you didn't tell her?"

"Of course they didn't," Alex mumbled.

"It was quite difficult to tell her anything once she passed out," Chiron explained.

"So you just went and chained her to a bed in a dungeon?"

I was in awe; I could not grasp the idea that this gorgeous boy was standing up for me.

"_Yes!_" Mr. D spoke out. "Yes we did, _boy, _because we did not want a child of…a titan raging around this camp!"

"Why don't you just say it?" Luke's tone was more heated than ever.

The room seemed frozen with fear and bewilderment. It was me who broke the silence, "Say what?"

"_Kronos_," Luke hissed.

Suddenly, a vast teeth-clenching crack of thunder resounded outside. The room grew dark as storm clouds formed over the house, rain trickled down the small window, and lighting struck nearby.

"Wait," I whispered, "What are you saying?"

"He's saying," Alex began, "That unlike most of us, you don't need to be claimed for us to know who your divine parent is."

I shook my head, "Huh?"

"You can control time," Chiron joined in, "There's only one god powerful enough to relay that gift upon their child."

"Can you just get on with it?" I lurched forward so far that the cuff rattled against the bedpost.

"You're a daughter of Kronos," Luke said.

"Who?" They looked at me with a look of bafflement. I merely shrugged, "I don't know my Greek gods, sue me!"

"Oh, I'll do quite a bit more than that," Mr. D lurched towards me, but Luke and Alex caught him in his rage.

"Mr. D, if you would kindly leave us," Chiron seemed calm, though I could tell otherwise.

Without a word, Mr. D opened the door without struggle and left in a fury.

"Kronos," Chiron began, turning back to me, "Your father, is a titan; a god sworn to demolish the rule of Zeus."

He went on to describe the story of how Kronos had once ruled, but when he had children with the goddess Rhea, he knew that they could destroy his rule, so he swallowed them whole. But, Rhea had given Kronos a stone instead of Zeus, and when Zeus was old enough he, with the held of his sibling, destroyed Kronos and threw him into the depths of the underworld, Tartarus, where he has been held ever-since.

"But..." I said with difficulty, "Then how…"

"How were you born?" Luke and Alex said in unison, finishing my question, which it seemed they shared.

"Well, yeah."

We stared at Chiron in hopes of him answering our question. He bowed his head low, "I wish I knew."


	6. Dream Land

I remember once when I was seven I had the most dreadful nightmare. I was staying with a couple named Lea and Nathan when I woke up in the middle of the night screaming for my mom. The dream took me back to my sixth birthday party where I was playing tag with my friends while our parents were in the house. It was almost four o'clock when it was just my friend, Stella left. Stella had just climbed into their car when her stepmother hurtled towards me with a violent gleam to her eyes; she then drew out a foot-long dagger and threw it at me. I could feel Sarah's gentle hands push me back as she intercepted the blade and fell to the ground in a pool of her own blood. Michael, who had taken a second dagger, followed her closely. I remember a cold embrace take hold of me and hide my eyes, the next moment I was staring at my parent's lifeless bodies in a bloodied driveway emptied of all cars except our own.

Lea and Nathan raced into my room to see what was the matter, but when I told them of Stella and her stepmother they answered with the same response as everyone, "They don't exist, Rebecca. No one knows who killed your parents."

This same dream reoccurred many times in my life, but not once did my caretakers believe my story of Stella's stepmom. No one would believe me, not until my stay at camp Half-Blood.

_Rebecca, _a resounding voice stirred me in my sleep. _Rebecca, awaken!_ With a jerk I woke from the same gory nightmare. I scanned the room for the source of the voice to no avail.

"Who's there?" I asked, groggily.

_A Friend,_ the voice echoed in my ears.

"Where I you?" I said, scanning the room once more only to twist my cuffed wrist in pain.

_I am here, _it hissed, _yet I am not._

My answer was brief, "What do you mean?"

There was no answer.

"Who are you?" I asked again.

A cold laugh bounded through my head,_ I think you know._

Rage had become my ally these past few days, it was the one thing that kept me going as I awaited my eminent death. Now it seemed to overcome my every thought. As I wondered who this man was I grew frustrated quickly until I ordered, "Tell me who you are, _now!_"

The voice changed to a lighter tone, _That a girl! I think I know where you got the temper from, _he laughed. _ Aw, you remind me so much of your mother, you have her hair, but those eyes…_

I was just about fed up with people commenting on the fact that I had gold eyes; it wasn't that peculiar, was it?

_I can see you have my eyes._

When the truth is made clear to you it is like a veil is lifted from your sight, and when I discovered whom this man was I found the lyrics to _Amazing Grace _playing in my mind. "_What?_ You mean…you're…" The truth was too strong to even form in my mouth.

The man in my head laughed, what once seemed a cold, menacing laugh, now seemed like a warm embrace after a tragic day. _Yes, my child, I am Kronos, Titan Lord of Time, and your father._

I felt like Luke Skywalker when Darth Vader had informed him of his being Luke's father, but unlike Luke, I did not want to deny it. It made so much sense, and for the first time since Sarah and Michael were killed, it made me just a little happy. I sat in silence, as I had nothing to say to this man who everyone seemed to hate.

It was Kronos who broke the silence, _Now, you must help me, Rebecca._

This comment struck me aback, "But how I'm chained up," I shook my cuffed arm to prove my point.

_Wait, _he began, soothingly, _Percy Jackson has just left on a quest of which he will never return._

For a moment, the room faded, I was no longer in a cold, dark room, but sitting at the edge of a dark abyss. I could just make out the shape of Percy Jackson being dragged towards the pit by an unknown force, on his feet were an old pair of sneakers with what looked like a pair of small wings forcing them off the ground. Percy's face was back with soot and sweaty from fighting the force. My eyes met his and a look of pure terror hit his face as he plummeted down the vast shoot and out of sight.

In a flash of light the cell walls came back into view and I realized what had just happened. "How did you do that?"

_I have a man at the camp helping me,_ he replied smugly. _A man of which will help you once he has ensured me that Percy Jackson is dead._

No image formed in my vision this time, but as I blinked a familiar set of dazzling blue eyes was shown to me instead of the regular sight of my eyelid.

"But father?" I asked, hesitantly.

_I know what you will ask. You want to know about your mother and your birth, do you not?_

"Yes! Yes, I do," I rushed to say.

_It began when I was a young god; reckless and unaware of the consequences of my actions. There was a young woman, Gwena, she was not yet sixteen year old when we first met. We-_

"Let me guess, you fell in love?" I cut in.

_Patience!_ His tone grew harsh quickly. _Let me finish. We would sneak out late at night to see each other and each night we grew closer, and soon enough she was with-child. But the towns-folk knew there was something strange afoot, something abnormal. They saw it as witchcraft, and I knew that any child of mine would be burned for such crimes, but I would not let this happen. So I placed Gwena under an enchantment so that neither her nor the baby would age until it was safe. So, that's how it was; for decades Gwena did not age at all and there was never any sign of pregnancy until about fifteen years ago when you were born._

I sat on the hard cot, waiting for more, but it never came. "So, is that why I look older than I am? Because she was pregnant with me for so long?"

_Yes._

"And that's why she died in childbirth? She really should've died years ago?"

_Yes._

"Sarah and Michael; did they know?"

_Yes, to a degree. That is why they sacrificed themselves for you. A celestial bronze knife, a metal forged for the gods, killed them. It will not harm a mortal, just as stainless steal will not harm a god._

"Wait," I halted him, "Are you telling me that they _weren't_ mortals?"

_They were, just as you are Rebecca, half-bloods. Sarah was a daughter of Hecate and Michael was a son of Eros. I offered them sanctuary in exchange for your refuge._

There was nothing more to say; the questions that had been haunting me for years were suddenly answers in great depth, except…

"Father, who was it that killed them?"

_That question will have to wait._

"For how long?"

_Until I am free. Now, promise me that you will not stop until I am boundless._

Letting my jaw form a tight smirk I said, "Father, I swear that I shall not fail you."


	7. Luke's Little Love Story

**Ey, I'd like to thank everybody who's been reviewing, it makes me feel good, ya know? **

**So, I had fun writing this one, so I hope you like it, and trust me, if you're a fan of Luke then you will :)**

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And so I waited; time seemed to pass slower then ever before, and I had no control over it. Ever since Kronos spoke to me there was little more I could think about. At first I spent hours comprehending my past, my present, and evidently, my future.

I thought of my father's words _Once Percy Jackson is dead,_ and I couldn't help but wonder if that was what I wanted. He seemed so innocent and gentle, could that same young boy bring forth my demise? Could this boy truly lead to my death? This was the same boy who had raced through the grounds with me only a few days ago.

But those days were long gone now. It felt like I had been trapped for years. My back ached from those hours spent on the hard mattress, my stomach was empty, for I had not eaten since the airplane, and I could feel my body slowly feeding off the little fat on me. I sat there, frozen on the rough floor, my strawberry-blonde hair hanging limp on my shoulders.

I was beginning to lose faith in my father's accomplice. Who here would possibly defy Chiron and their fellow campers for me? How could anyone betray people like Percy and Alex and Luke…?

Luke; you would think that with my predicament I would have enough to think about, but I couldn't help thinking about him. I don't know whether it was the way his eyes glimmered beneath a fountain of blond or the way his scar crinkled whenever his face broadened into a sly grin. The longer I remained thinking of him the more I began to fantasize his perfect lips pressing against mine and his strong arms caressing mine as his hands cupped my face gently, holding me close.

Then the vision would be lost with the echo of my father's over-ruling voice pounding in my head. As much as it was a comfort to my dreams all these years, it was a weight on my shoulders that I could hardly bare; I was the daughter of the Lord of the Titans. Kronos was feared by anyone with any sense, this was the legacy that I was expected to continue. I had always been quiet in crowds, never really noticed let alone feared. Of course I would get the odd class-mate asking me if I was okay, which I would always reply to with a trivial smile and nod.

I felt my body sinking under that pressure; how could I ever be as imperial as my father if I was a prisoner to an innocent camp? How could I amount to anything more than a weak, orphan girl, lost in the world with nothing and no one to guide her? This reality brought forth a single tear; a tear that carried the weight of my aching heart growing with troubles over the years. I had never been as scared for myself as I was at this very moment, even after being bounced from one home to another dealing with the most horrendous guardians imaginable. William was not the first man who had tried to harm me, but no matter how much I begged for a different placing the foster agency would seldom abide my wishes.

An abrupt knock at the door drove me from my mind's uncertainties. Shaking, I rose to my feet, hand still cuffed to the bedpost. Slowly, the door opened and in-stepped an unexpected soul; it was Luke. He pushed him hair back roughly as he closed the door behind him, he then spun briskly on his heel to face me. I tried to speak; I tried to be as crass to him as I was to Chiron and the others, but I couldn't, my mouth was frozen in a trance of it's own.

"I though you might want some company," he finally said, breaking the cold silence of the room.

Swallowing hard I said, "And what made you think that?"

Luke opened his mouth to speak, his scar stretching with the effort, but then he closed it again and simply stared out the small window into the darkening sky.

"Have they decided what they're going to do with me?" I asked hesitantly, frightened for the answer.

"I'm not sure," Luke tentatively drew his gaze from the window onto me, and when his gaze met mine I suddenly felt a cold breath in my ear as if someone was there, but there was no one, Luke and I were alone; all alone. "I've never seen Chiron treat someone like this before, I always thought him to be…well…"

His gaze drifted down to the floor, I tried to take a step forward to comfort him, but the metal snagged my wrist not allowing me any closer. "You thought him to be better than this?"

"I guess he's right," Luke whispered so quietly that I had to strain my ear to hear him.

"Who's right? Chiron?" I asked, eagerly.

"Oh, no, um…"

It was then that I smiled for the first time since the courtyard with Percy, my breath drew out into a small laugh.

"What?" Luke looked almost offended.

Shaking my head I whispered, "Nothing, just when you were on top of the hill you seemed so sure of yourself, but now…"

"Oh," his face formed that adorable smile that I had been waiting for for days now.

I joined him in a short laugh on the subject before I sat back down on the cot, rubbing my wrist, which was sore from the cuff digging into it these pasty days.

"I'm sorry about that," Luke said pointing at the handcuff and sitting down next to me.

I shrugged, "Yeah, well, what're you gonna` do?"

He didn't answer, only drew his gaze up from the cuff to my face, his sky-lit eyes focusing intently on my lips. He leaned slowly towards me, and as I closed my eyes I felt his warm lips press against mine in an adoring kiss. I felt his hands cuff my face gently pulling me closer and closer to him. I took an eager gulp of air and then gripped his head with my free hand taking him in with gulps of desire.

The world faded away; all I could think of was Luke's body so near to mine, his thoughts fitting snug with mine like a jigsaw puzzle. All thoughts of my father vanished from my mind, all worries of my future faded; the only reality was the brilliant present of Luke and me.

Never in my life had I been kissed until now. In my pitiful life I had never remained in one place long enough for any chemistry to come to life; keeping to myself was how I had always lived until now.

As I breathed in Luke's fresh breath I began to notice tears forming in my eyes and finding their long paths down my face. I began to weep like never before; I bent my head low, my tears creating a puddle between Luke and I.

Hands still cradling my head, Luke said, "What is it?" He spoke to me as one would to a crying newborn aching for its mother's warm embrace.

Lifting my gaze into his deep blue eyes I opened my mouth to speak, his eyes were so welcoming it became a task in itself to stop myself from telling him the truth. I could not stand the fact that in a few days time Luke would discover my treachery and I would fight to inevitably bring the downfall of this camp and everybody in it.

"I-I can't…" I whispered, pulling myself out of his longing grip.

Brushing his hair out of his eyes Luke peered through my own bangs into my eyes and when he spoke I spent nearly all my effort to keep from kissing him once more. "I know this is hard for you, but trust me, you will soon understand everything. You just gotta` hang in there."

Wiping the last tears from my now-swollen eyes, I gazed up shyly at Luke, "What do you mean?"

Luke didn't answer me, he merely kissed my forehead one, sweet, last time before he arose from the hard cot, opened the door and before it slammed shut he shot me one final brilliant smile, which I struggled to return.


	8. Jail Break

**Here's the next chapter! Check out my profile for a soundtrack for this story, and a link to my blog :)**

**If it's any consolation: I DON'T OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS, oh, and I had a lot of fun writing this chapter :) enjoy!**

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Luke came back every day after that, constantly making excuses to Chiron, everything from giving me food to torturing me for information, which he never did. He didn't dare harm me, the only emotion I ever felt around him was pure bliss. I began to have faith again; faith that life consisted of much more than just suffering and pain. Everyday he came, and everyday I would ask him about Alex; had he spoken to him, had he asked about me, did he show any desire to see me? My heart ached for his company, it seemed that the moment Alex realized who I was he fled from my life, unwilling to ever return. It felt like a part of my skin had been torn away, something that had sheltered me for so long ripped away without warning. I longed to hear comforting words in his soft Quebec accent, but for all I knew I would never hear it again.

The only words of comfort for me came from Luke; his alluring American accent came to be my safe haven, the only place of comfort left for me in this world. This cell left me with little happiness in my life; it came to be that I could barely move my limbs. My stomach was emptier then ever, I could barely move due to the lack of protein on my bones. I could feel my skin stretching painfully over my ribs, but I would not eat. Although Luke had tried to feed me I never accepted it. I didn't trust this camp, for all I knew they could have poisoned my food in hopes that I would die and put an end to all their troubles.

There were many times that I contemplated using my powers. I was sure that if I tried hard enough, if I focused all my energy together, I could speed up time and get out of here faster, but I couldn't. Luke was so comforting, so precious, so unreal, I could not leave him, not if I could help it.

How could I ever leave the one person who was ever kind to me? I couldn't do it, but I had to; I had promised my father that I would not fail him, and I doubted that Kronos would understand, or even care about my love life.

Is that what it was; love? I had never been in love before, so who was I to know what it was? I had never felt anything close to what I felt for Luke. I had loved Sarah and Michael as parents, but that was years ago; the only other person was Alex…Alex had cared for me when no one else had, he had saved my life from that Cyclopes, risking his own in the process.

The longer I lingered on that thought, the more circumstances I remembered Alex helping me out of. This was it; I would not leave here without speaking to him, maybe I could convince him to come with me, maybe I didn't have to fight against him and leave him in the dust to die. He was the closest thing that I had to a brother and it was high time I repaid him.

With that thought in mind I squatted down to a tally I had scratched into the wall marking the days since my father first spoke to me. I took a sharp stone and ticked off the ninth day. _Ten days_, he had said. Tomorrow someone would come for me and we should leave this camp, but I was not leaving without Alex.

"Rebecca? Rebecca, wake up," an urgent voice bounded me to consciousness.

Groaning in protest, I lifted my heavy eyelids, all remnants of make-up unseen. Rubbing my eyes with my free hand, Luke's resonating face came into focus.

"Luke," I moaned, "Wh-what is it?"

"We have to go," he took out a small key from his jacket pocket and began to unlock the chain, which had held me in place for over a week.

Sitting up from being sprawled out on the floor I asked him, "What are you doing?"

Still focusing on the lock he smiled and answered with a laugh, "What does it look like I'm doing?" He looked deep into my eyes and the next few words felt like a blanket of warmth as he spoke in a soft whisper, "I'm rescuing you."

Shocked, I rubbed my now-free wrist, hoping to demolish the bruising, which had become black. "What…how…you…" I found myself incapable of finishing a sentence, the truth flooded into my mind, obliterating every thought of doubt in my care. Luke was my father's accomplice, Luke was the man that my father spoke of, the one who would help me, the one who would kill Percy and leave Camp Half-Blood to bring me to the Titan's camp. It was Luke all along, and he didn't tell me.

"You!" I finally managed as Luke hoisted me to my feet, slinging my arm over his shoulders for support. "It was you!"

Finally, Luke's eyes met mine and he spoke in a pant, as if he was relieved to finally speak the truth, "Yes, Rebecca, yeah, it's me. I know I should've said something sooner, I wanted to tell you, but-"

Luke didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as I cut him off with a simple press of my lips against his. When our lips parted I whispered softly in his ear, "I understand."

His scar wrinkled with a small grin and he led me through the large door, which had kept me locked in this dungeon for so long. It was finally happening, I was free.

We stepped into a small stairwell, walled with cement similar to the cell, with Luke's gentle press of help I ascended up the stairs, each step a long awaited progress in life, each foot felt like a thousand pounds of pure joy to my heart.

At the top of the stairs I found myself facing a thin, wooden door, coated with years of dust accumulation. Stepping ahead of me, Luke took out his key once more and opened the door, allowing a rupture of light to seep into my pores; it felt that every crease in my skin was filled with new life. He gestured for me to step ahead of him, and I limped into the living room where he had led me so many days ago. I remembered the confusion I felt that day, the anger boiling beneath my skin, now all of that was replaced with pure bliss.

In the corner, next to the grotesque sofa, I set my eyes upon a rather odd sight. Chiron, the centaur was saddled up like a common riding horse, reins knotted tightly around his arms, and a powerful lee-chain holding him fast to the wall, over his mouth was a shinning piece of ducked-tape, which I could see him struggling to remove. It seemed that he was struggling quite thoroughly with all his restrains, and I realized that soon enough he would escape, and I did not want to be around when that time came, that _time_.

Luke came in behind me and let out a small laugh at the captured centaur, he whispered once more in my ear, "Oh, Rebecca, if you wouldn't mind…you know…"

A wicked smile forming across my face, I focused my attention on freezing the old man, as my blood temperature rose, I saw his movements slow to a creep, and when it felt that I could hardly bare the heat anymore he came to a halt, and Chiron moved no more.

Tired, I clung once more to Luke, but I felt that all the aid I needed from him was his hand gripping mine.

Taking one final look at the foolish sight that was Chiron, Luke and I left the Big House, never to return.

"Nice going," Luke remarked as we stepped off the wooden porch and onto the field.

"Thanks, you too."

He smiled, "We have to hurry, we gotta` get to the sword arena, no one will be there."

"Luke," I stopped him from continuing his explanation of our escape.

"What?"

"I can't leave," it came out as a confession.

"Can't? Rebecca, they will _kill you_ here." His eyes were so full of concern it would have wounded any who met his gaze.

"Not without Alex."

Eyes bloodshot, he stared at me, "Alex?" Bewilderment became his tone, "That frenchy?"

"I need him, Luke, and he needs me," water began to accumulate in my eyes, a small pool which would soon become a river.

For a few moments we stood there, me staring hurt at the ground, and him staring at me, then Luke spoke, "Fine, we'll go, but you have to be quick. It's too dangerous, and we don't have much-"

"_Time?_ Yeah, with me around, we got plenty of that."


	9. Anywhere But Here

**So, just to get you in the mood for this chapter, have a listen to _Anywhere _by Evanescence. Check out my profile for the link, and lots of other songs fitting to this story. Anyways, srry for the long wait, but as you may notice this chapter is slightly longer than the rest, so hopefully that'll compensate for the wait :/ enjoy!**

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Blood flowing hot in my veins, heart thumping faster than ever before, I focused my attention on Camp Half-Blood; every person, every leaf of grass formed within my mind and as I laid my attention upon each movement, they began to lengthen in time until the entire camp ceased to move.

It is an odd feeling; moving within a frozen encampment, being able to think and move freely while all else around you stays put. It is like walking over an icy glacier, a hard wind pushing you back as you persist heavily forward, but it is silent; not the silence of night with crickets chirping outside your bedroom window, but an eerie silence as you struggle to listen through a thick door; the sound is there but it is lost to your ears.

The camp sill to the bone around us, Luke and I continued down the long, worn path leading up to the loop of cabins. All around us stood motionless figures, frozen in place. Just before we reached the cabins Luke gestured for me to continue in another direction towards the training area and the archery range hidden behind the underbrush.

"The Apollo cabin's usually at the shooting range this time of day," Luke informed me as he turned to face me, grabbing both my hands in a tight grip. He looked deep in my eyes as he said, "You'd better hurry, you can't hold this place down forever."

I glared at him, quizzically, "But you're coming with me, aren't you?"

"I'll only slow you down; even in your state you're faster alone," he sighed. Smiling, he let go of my hands and he too became still as the rest of the camp. His dazzling eyes continued to stare shrilly into mine and just at the moment when he should have blinked he did not, and that is what stuck with me.

I wanted to touch him, to kiss him good-bye, but thought better of it. He was right; I needed to hurry. I could already feel the effort of holding this camp draining me of the little energy that I had left. Leaving him standing on the dirt path, I turned briskly on my heal and ran towards the archery range. Pain shot through my legs with each stride, I took in greedy gulps of air, pressing on through the frozen wind. The air bit my cheeks although it was a scorching day, it seemed that even the sun's rays failed to heat the earth in its stiff state. Growing tired, I slowed down to a light jog as I passed the dining hall and entered the bush, which hid the training facilities of the camp.

I stopped just in time to stop my self from knocking a girl with curious grey eyes and curly blond hair into a pit of lava. Following her gaze I realized she was starring at a young boy upon the rock wall to my right. She seemed to be in the middle of ushering him down from the high perch he had found.

Bushing past the blond girl, I wormed my way through the crowd of frozen campers abandoning their training for the evening, checking every face in hopes of locating Alex. I followed the crowd of fair-toned campers, who all seemed to be emitting the same sort of light, back to the shooting range where Alex stood alone, aiming a deathly shot at the bulls eye, which was covered with recently shot arrows shot deep into the wood. Looking back at Alex I noticed a flare in his eyes that was foreign to me. His bow was drawn further back than normal or natural by that matter, a golden arrow was set next to his sun-lit eyes, which emitted a look of pure contempt; his mouth was pierced in a tight look as if he was biting his cheeks in frustration.

Preparing myself with a deep, shaky breath I laid my hand upon his shoulder and he jerked into action. His arms slaked and his aim on his bow loosened, the wire straightened and any tension on the arrow was lost. With a shock of bewilderment and shock he turned to face me, but once he took in whom I was he flew my grip away furiously, but as soon as my touch left him he went rigid again. So I gripped his hand tightly and did not let go.

Eyes wide with fear he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Growing tired more quickly now I answered quietly, "To find you. I froze time."

His jaw dropped with horrification, "You did what?" He peered over my shoulder, eying his petrified siblings, he attempted to pull out of my grip, but I merely held more firmly.

"No," I warned him, "If you let go you'll only freeze again."

His eyes narrowed, but his struggling ceased.

"Listen, I don't have time to explain everything, but just hear me out," I pleaded.

"Why should I?" His grip on his bow tightened in rage.

"Because," I frowned, "because I hoped that you above all people would." Alex opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "I have been an orphan my whole life, I've never had any family to lean on, not since Sarah and Michael died. I was all alone Alex…"

"Rebecca please…"

"…Until I met you," loosening my grip on him, I lowered my gaze, "You have always been there for me." Holding back tears I sighed, "Like a brother…" Shaking away my tears I continued, "You saved my life, Alex. Just goes to show how helpless I am without you. I need you by my side." I could feel my energy leaving in great leaps, behind me campers slowly began to move. "I…I have to go." Pain surging to my gut I stumbled forward, but Alex caught me. I stared into his ever-lightening eyes.

"Come with me," I whispered.

"What?"

By now I fully lost control, I could no longer hold the camp at a stand still. I released my hold of the camp; it felt like a gigantic weight lifted from my shoulders. I could feel my strength slowly return to me, but still, moving was a task upon itself. I could hear the footsteps of the campers, it was only a matter of time until they found me with Alex, or worse, if they discovered what Luke had done. What if they caught him? What if they _killed_ him?

"Come with me, Alex." He helped me to my feet. "Luke rescued me, he's taking me to my father."

"Your _father?_"

"Yes," I swallowed hard, "I can't stay here, they'll kill me," my voice quivered with every word.

Looking cautiously over my shoulder his tone dropped to a whisper. "Look, I'll talk to Chiron, I'll make him see sense. It'll be okay, you don't have to leave."

"No Alex!" I dropped my tone to match his, "I need to go, and I need you to come with me."

For a long moment he merely stared at me in wonder, then finally he gave in. "Gods, Rebecca, why are you so damn persuasive?"

I gave a weak smile.

"You'd never make it out of here without me anyway."

Letting out a great sigh of relief I hugged him in a warm embrace.

"Okay, okay," Alex gave me a few reassuring claps on the back before releasing me, "Now, what's the plan?"

(Luke's POV)

If walking through a frozen camp is odd, it was nothing compared to returning from a petrified state, which was an extremely bizarre experience. It felt as if I was waking from a short, but deep sleeping; slowly, I began to be aware of my surroundings; my feet on the hard ground, the wind struggling to blow my hair from my eyes, the mumbled chatter from the cabins soared into my ears like a trumpet blaring. I knew that Rebecca had lost control when my lungs eagerly filled with air and a jolt of energy filled my muscles.

Looking around confused, I sought the gaze of my brother, Conner Stoll. He stared at me in shock as he took hesitant steps towards me. "What was that?" He asked, his voice weak from the silence.

"I don't know," I lied, looking cautiously around for signs of Rebecca. She must still be at the archery range, I thought. Why would she risk so much for an Apollo kid? Why wouldn't she just leave with me and forget about him? Was I not good enough for her?

With all these questions in mind I found it difficult to listen to Conner babble on, and when Travis came to join us mere seconds later, it proved impossible.

"...Like I was sleeping..." Conner went on, "...It was like..."

"...I'm not sure..." Travis joined in.

"...Like when she..."

"...Back at the cabin..."

"...It can't be..."

"...Impossible..."

"Rebecca!" They burst out together. At her name I became horridly interested.

"What?" I asked, "What about her?" I tried to calm myself, how could they know? My heart pounded furiously.

"I though Chiron had her under control," Travis' eyes were wide with fear.

"Same here," Conner's mouth hung wide open.

"Someone must've let her out," Travis explained.

"But who would do that?" My eyes shot wide open, it began difficult to breath, my throat grew itchy, but I resisted the urge to scratch. They would soon discover what I did and I was not going to be around when they did, and neither was Rebecca.

"You better go tell Chiron," I intervened to give me a chance to find her before someone else did.

Conner and Travis hurried away to the Big House unaware of what they would find there. Abandoning the crowded path I raced through the bushes to the archery range, away from the nosy glares of campers. Branches sliced my face as I ran pat them, a few left an odd, numb sensation as they grazed my horrid scar.

I skidded to a halt as I drew close to the range; I strained to hear faint whispers in the clearing where I spotted Rebecca resting weakly against Alexander, who was struggling to hold her up. Her fiery hair was damp with sweat and her golden eyes were barely open.

I slowly drew my sword, Backbiter, from it's sheath at my side and warily walked towards them. Eying Alex with loathing I laid my blade lightly against his throat, his eyes migrated to view me, his atom's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

"Luke?" Rebecca carefully sat up, colour subtly returning to her once-rosy cheeks. "What are you doing?"

"I was...well...I was protecting you," I managed.

"From _Alex?" _I felt my cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. "Put away your sword already."

Reluctantly, I obeyed as Alex helped Rebecca to her feet, her arm slung over his shoulders.

"Now," Alex managed under the weight of Rebecca, "What's the plan?"

Caught off-guard by his sudden interest, I looked over at Rebecca, who merely returned the glare.

"We need to get to an open area somehow, like the soccer field," I relayed.

"But that'll only put her n even greater danger," Alex spat.

"I know, but that's the only way," I spoke regrettably.

"Why?" He ordered.

"Would you _shut up_ for once, Alex?" Rebecca attempted to support herself better to no avail. "Let's just go."

I nodded, "I'll take her," I told Alex as I slung Rebecca's other arm over my own shoulders and held her hand close to me. "We'll go first, cover us from behind, will you? We'll take the trees for cover."

Slinging a quiver of golden arrows over his shoulder Alex nodded and I drew my blade once again.

"Shall we?" Asked Rebecca, trying to smile, but she could not hide her pain. She was scared, the horror reflected in her radiant gold eyes.

Nodding, Backbiter in hand, I slunk back into the forest quietly with Rebecca, I heard the light crunch of twigs on the ground as Alex followed us.

It seemed an eternity that we were in the bush, but I know it to only have been a few minutes. Rebecca's strength was returning quickly now, and by the time we had reached the forest's edge it seemed to have returned in full. She no longer needed me as a support, but she still looked worn from her time locked away. I could see her ribs through her filthy tank top, her skin was a pasty white and her once-straight hair hung in knots on her shoulders, but still she managed a smile. Her teeth shone into eh sun as she whispered in my ear.

"Luke, if this doesn't work...I want you to know...I-" She was cut off as I kissed her, one last kiss before I completed my mission, one kiss before our life either ended or began.

(Rebecca's POV)

When Luke kissed me as we peered into the camp's field I became aware of what was really happening. I had no idea what was going to happen; I didn't know what Luke was planning, or what our chances of success were, or what was waiting for me when I reached my father. I had no way of knowing the future, but if there was one thing that I did know, it was that I trusted Luke with my life. Wherever Luke would take me I would surely go because maybe then our love would be more than just his name. When our lips finally separated Luke and I whispered, "I love you."

"Now what?" Suddenly aware of his presence Luke and I looked away from one another; I brushed back my hair shyly.

Peering through the bushes Luke eyed a group of about half a dozen campers brandishing what looked like newly sharpened swords. "Ugh, Ares kids! Just my luck," he sighed

"Okay," Alex and I drew closer as Luke explained, "So, here it goes. I'm gonna` head out first and-"

"And do what?" Alex cut in.

A furious glare in his eyes, Luke continued, "I'm gonna` create a portal, it's a rare gift of a child of Hermes, since he _is_ the god of travelers," he said in response to Alex's and my quizzical looks. "It'll take some time, it requires a lot of concentration, so I'll need you to cover me if people get to suspicious. Rebecca, how are you feeling?"

Catching on I replied, "Well, enough to stop a few _kids_ in their tracks."

Smiling, Luke said, "Only if you have to. Until I give you the okay stay hidden. They're already on the watch for you and Con-"

He didn't need to finish because just then Travis and Conner Stoll emerged from the Big House, followed by a furious Chiron in full centaur form. My jaw fell low in shock, "_Shit!_"


	10. Present Meets Future

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, or any of the characters from it.  
Song For this chapter? Avril Lavigne's Keep Holding On. Great Song! I know it was originally written for the Eragon movie (which i love) it suits this chapter.  
I'm proud of myself, my chapters are getting longer :) Anyways, without further adieu: enjoy!**

* * *

"Are you insane?" Alex whispered, after Luke explained what we had done to Chiron.

"Not really," I muttered.

"What was I suppose to do?" Luke spat, "He would _never_ have let me in with her."

At this Alex muttered something under his breath that sounded something like a French swear word.

Luke glared at me for assistance, but I averted his gaze. "What do we do now?" I asked, eying my feet with great interest, in attempt to move the conversation to the problem at hand.

Stabbing his sword into the ground, Luke sighed, "I don't know."

"Of course you don't," Alex said, throwing his hands in the air furiously. "You don't know anything."

"Alex," I warned.

"Rebecca, you don't realize who this kid is do you, _what_ he is?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Luke's brow line narrowed.

"It means that you're a liar, a traitor and a down right _murderer_."

"I don't-"

"Don't act like you don't' know," Alex turned to me, "Years ago, Luke came here with two other campers; Annabeth Chase and Thalia Grace. Just outside the border of the camp they were attacked by a monster, and you know what Luke did?"

I didn't answer; I merely stared from Alex to Luke and back again.

"He fled," it came out so quiet I was forced to strain to hear him. "Annabeth got out okay, but not Thalia. She _died_ and it's _all. Your. Fault_." He pointed an accusing finger at Luke.

"You accusing, malicious _ass_!" Luke's face was hot with rage. "Thalia sacrificed herself for Annabeth and me, she was killed of her _own_ accord. Nothing I could've done would have helped her."

"Yeah," Alex laughed before his face grew stern again. "But I only wish that it was _you_ who died that day, instead of her."

"Hey," I snapped, stopping Luke from advancing on Alex, his fist ready for the punch. "Stop it, both of you. Here we are; ready to fight for our lives and you two are fighting each other."

"I don't have to fight, I can turn you both in right now," threatened Alex.

"And _I_ can tear your _throat out_," Luke drew his sword from the earth. Alex lifted his bow, suddenly holding an arrow.

I looked at Alex and smiled, "But you won't," I couldn't explain it, but I know he would never betray me. As I looked deeper in his eyes I could see more and more of his life. His past with his aunt and uncle, his present, and even his future. I saw him in a line of archers all bearing a scythe crossed with an hourglass; the sign of Kronos. The vision took up my entire sight line; for that short moment the forest vanished, I was oblivious to my surroundings, but just as fast as it had appeared, it was gone and I found myself staring deep into Alex's eyes.

"Rebecca?" It was Luke; he placed his hand gingerly on my shoulder, "Are you alright?"

I turned to him and smiled, "Yeah...yeah I'm fine."

Turning back to the soccer field I saw Chiron storming towards the path, which led to the archery range. He knew that I would not leave without Alex. He may have been fool enough to get held captive, but he was smart enough to know what I would do.

I turned to face Luke and Alex; Luke's gorgeous blue eyes showed a glare which I had never seen in them before; it was fear. He was scared; he had just poisoned Percy and tied up the camp director, they would see him as a traitor and traitors deserve to die.

"Hey," I whispered to Luke, grabbing his hands lovingly. "It's gonna` be okay."

"How do you know?" He drew me closer so that our lips were mere inches apart, I had to fight the urge to kiss him, to hold him close so that nothing could pass between us, but I could see Alex out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at us jealously; he glared at Luke with loathing and with another emotion in his eyes.

"I'll tell you later," I whispered to Luke before turning to Alex. But when I looked at him it was like never before. His dirty blond hair hung loosely in his light eyes, but when I looked through the fog of light that surrounded him I saw a glint of lust. Alex had always been so kind to me, so protective, why had I never seen it before? Had I really thought that a son of Apollo, the god of bachelors, just wanted to be my friend? I could see into the future, so why couldn't I see what was right in front of me?

"Alex," I stepped cautiously towards me, "You're right, you don't have to do this, coming with us means leaving behind your home, your family, your friends. Just because I don't belong here doesn't mean you don't. You have so much kindness in your heart; you don't have to sacrifice that for me. They don't know you helped me, it's not too late to turn back."

His narrow eyes shot open, "Turn back?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Rebecca, do you honestly think I would let you off just like that?" He took my hands as I had taken Luke's. "It's like you said, you're helpless without me."

I let my mouth widen into an uncontrollably large grin, and before I knew what I was doing I kissed him lightly on the cheek, his smile broadened.

"Now," I began pulling away from Alex. "Here's what we're gonna` do."

Explaining the plan was the easy part, but when it came time to follow it through it proved a difficult task to allow Luke time enough to open a portal.

Alex left the bush first as planned; he was to clear away the group of campers who had accumulated in the field. His bow slung over his shoulder, he progressed slowly towards them, when he reached them they shot him various looks of distain. Alex's back was to me and they were too far away to make out what they were saying. Restless, I glanced over at Luke, who gave a weak smile.

"Ready?" Luke asked, his eyes showed confidence, but his voice proved otherwise.

I nodded, "Let's do this." Taking in a deep breath I grabbed Luke's hand and focused my attention on the camp like I had done before. My pulse quickened, I felt my body temperature rise to a feverish height as I watched the long line of campers at the cabins slow to a sluggish pace and then they moved no more.

Hands gripped tightly together, Luke led the way out of the woods and towards Alex. I stared for a moment at his frozen figure, mesmerized by each freckle on his cheeks, before grabbing his hand with my free one.

He jerked into action, taking in a deep gulp of air, but returned a quick squeeze of reassurance to my hand. "Okay Luke," he said, "Let's see what you can do."

"Rebecca, move your hand to my shoulder so that I can use my hands."

I obeyed his wish without complaint. Without hesitation Luke drew his sword and thrust it deep into the ground. I glanced impatiently back at Alex, who was staring at Luke in admiration. Turning hesitantly back to Luke I noticed he was muttering a sort of prayer under his breath. Then suddenly he stopped and looked up in anticipation, but frowned when nothing happened.

"What is it?" I asked, growing uncomfortable from supporting the camp.

"It won't work," his dazzling eyes filled with disappointment. "The portal won't open…"

"What?"

"I knew it!" Alex threw his hands in the air, "I knew he was tricking us and now look; they know what I've done! I might as well just go back to the forest now and act like I got beat up or something."

"Alex," I snapped. "Stop over-reacting. It's okay, there must be a reason why it's not working," I looked expectantly at Luke.

"Yeah," Alex muttered, "Like his father doesn't want to waste his time on a prick like _him_."

Luke's eyes narrowed on him, but then turned to me and spoke in a hushed tone. "I don't know, unless…" His eyes shot open, "You need to unfreeze the camp."

"What?" Alex shouted, "Are you mad?"

"No," I breathed, "He's right."

Gripping my hand tightly Alex drew me closer and whispered, "Rebecca, they will _kill_ you if you let them go."

"I'll be fine, just cover Luke, will you?" I was hardly aware of what I was asking him to do until he retorted.

"What? You mean…_kill_ my friends…my _family_?"

Each of his words felt like a sharp stab to my heart. Was this really what I was asking of him? "Yes…if you must…" I bent my head low, avoiding his piercing glare.

After a few silent moments he spoke, "Alright," he lifted my chin up gently, "Let's do this." He drew an arrow from his quiver and loaded his long bow.

Now gripping my hand, Luke pulled me close to him. I swung away from Alex as he drew his sword back from the ground. "Whenever you're ready."

Twisting my neck ever so slightly I caught Alex's gaze and he nodded.

Closing my eyes I released both Alex's and Luke's hands. I felt them stiffen as their touch left mine. I took in a deep breath of cold air and as I let it out I felt the sun beaming down upon me, warming my every inch.

When I finally opened my eyes I saw Luke kneeling with his sword in the ground, praying, Alex had his bow aimed high as the Ares kids, which he had hoaxed away, cast fuming glares at me and leisurely progressed towards us, swords held high.

I cast a nervous look at Alex, which he did not return; his gaze was focused on the Ares kids, who had broke into a run. There were at least a dozen of them; they all bore looks of rage and ferocity. I wanted to do something; to stop them, but I could not; I was helpless, without a weapon and without hope.

In a panic of shock and denial I did the one thing that I knew best; I ran. Stomach aching, I progressed into the shelter of the forest. I took cover behind a large cedar, which I peered around to view the battle raging in the field. Alex was firing countless shots at the progressing campers. Fear dawned upon me as I spotted a burly girl with battered brown hair eying Luke like a lion hunting a gazelle. As she drew closer to him she raised a long spear high in the air.

My eyes darted urgently around the battlefield in hopes of locating a weapon, anything that I could use against this fearsome girl.

I spotted a blood-red javelin, lying next to a motionless boy of ten, only a few meters from my hideout. Taking a deep breath in I made to leave the forest when I felt a grip on my right ankle. Twisting to see my aggressor I kicked my foot out of the clutch of a boy with ratty, dark hair lying weakly on the ground.

"Help," he pleaded, his voice raspy. As he looked up at me I drew my attention into his sea-green eyes and suddenly realized whom he was. It was Percy, weak from the scorpion's poison, which Luke had hoaxed upon him.

Shocked, I leaped back and without realizing it I thrust my heel harshly into his skull. I heard his skull crack as his head fell; he was knocked out cold. I stared in disbelief at the mangled body of Percy Jackson. Lifting his head I gazed deep into his eyes and forced myself to see his future.

The forest vanished and reappeared, but Percy was now laying on his back, the blond girl from the rock wall leaning over him and checking his pulse. Her blond curls fell over her face as I heard her whisper, "He's alive," before she vanished and I was back to the present.

I don't know why the thought of Percy being okay was such a comfort to me, but it just felt like a weight was lifted off my chest, leaving me with nothing to think of but to save Luke.

Taking one last glance at Percy's garbled body I leaped out of the trees and ran to retrieve the javelin. I picked it up with difficulty; my arms weak from my time spent locked away.

The girl was fast approaching on Luke, who was busy summoning the portal. A fine layer of white light began to form in front of Luke; it seemed like a spotlight had been shone on a layer of fog; some of the light escaped behind it, but it was still visible.

The girl had her spear raised and was preparing to heave it; I had to think quickly. Painfully, I raised the javelin and aimed it directly at the girl's chest, who had noticed me and hastened to throw her spear, but before she had a chance to, my arm took advantage of it's wielded weapon. I was unable to control it as it pulled the long javelin back, and without little more as a thought of what I was doing, I released the javelin and it shot across the battlefield to where the girl stood. Her eyes were fixed on me; we watched the weapon spin through the air as it made it's way towards her. It was not a perfect shot; I had never been any good at track and field at school, but it was good enough. The seconds ticked by and soon enough the red javelin embedded itself deep within the girl's arm. She let out a piercing screech and curled her body around her injury. She had begun to throw her own spear, but the javelin distorted her aim; the spear hit the ground sending a shock of electricity through the dirt.

At the sound of her scream, Luke's head jolted up from the ground and his eyes wandered to her. I watched him as he followed the path of the javelin back to me; I stood in awe, arm still held high, but as he stared at me in shock it fell back to my side.

I smiled at him and was just about to move to him when he shouted, "Watch out!"

With a shock, I spun to find a boy around my age hovering over him, the ruthless look in his eyes forced me to assume he was a son of Ares, his sword swung around and was seconds away from decapitating me when suddenly he stopped. His eyes filled with tears and his mouth fell open; I followed his gaze down to his stomach, which was bleeding uncontrollably. Through the stream of blood I saw the tip of a golden arrow, which I knew only too well. The boy looked up at me, tears pouring from his brutal eyes, "Clarisse…" His words were almost inaudible before he fell hard to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Jumping back, my eyes found Alex's gaze, who was ushering me over to him, speedily. Transfixed on the motionless body that lay before me, I shook my head and slowly made my way to meet with Alex.

I met him halfway towards Luke, who was now fighting off numerous campers of his own. "Thanks," I breathed as Alex and I ran towards the portal.

"Don't sweat it," Alex said in between shots.

When we reached Luke he had just finished off a particularly tall daughter of Hephaestus, who had wielded a large hammer. Luke's beautiful face was battered and bruised almost beyond recognition.

"Let's go," he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground as I dodged an arrow that was shot towards me.

"Sounds good to me," with that, Alex pushed me through the portal. Both he and Luke closely followed me.

The camp vanished and was replaced with a large tunnel of swirling black light. Feeling Luke's warm breath behind me I spun through the dark abyss, unaware of where I was or where I was going, only aware that for once I was safe.

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**So, that's that for 'The Lightning Thief' portion of this story. I decided I'll do it in parts; this is part 1, and every book to the PJO series will get a part, they probably won't all be this long though :/**


	11. A Sorrowful Tale

**Part 2: The Sea of Monsters**

"Rebecca? Rebecca, wake up! We gotta` go."

I opened my eyes to find Luke lying next to me, his hair brushing lightly against my face as I turned to face him, exhausted still from the previous night. It had been my coronation ceremony where I was dubbed the captain of my father's army. A sense of disappointment swept over me when I realized that I had not been claimed. It had been a year since my father first spoke to me, since I discovered who I was, so why hadn't he officially claimed me? Luke had told me numerous stories of half-bloods being claimed and I longed for the time that it was my turn. "Maybe he's waiting for the right time," Luke would attempt to comfort me, but when would that time come?

Rolling over slightly Luke planted a warm kiss upon my lips before he spoke again. "You know what today is, right?"

Sighing, I stared up at the cloth ceiling of our tent. The sign of Kronos was embroidered into the fabric, a small reminder of my heritage. "Yeah, I know."

"You scared?"

Shocked, I sat up, the blankets fell from me, revealing the slimming black dress, which I wore the night prior. I had been far too tired to change last night when Luke led me to our tent. "Scared? Why would I be scared?"

"Well," he sat up to face me; his sky-blue eyes gazed wearily into mine. "It's been almost a year since we were there. What if we get caught?"

Brushing back his blond hair with my warm hand I kissed him fondly on the lips and whispered, "Don't worry. I would _never_ let that happen. There's no chance that a camp full of miscreants will be able to catch us. Now…" Leaping off the bed I began to change out of my dress, but before I could pull on my leather coat Luke grabbed me by the waist and pulled me close. I swayed back and forth, my hips glued to his, for what seemed like eternity before either of us spoke, "Like you said, Luke, we gotta` go, eh?"

"Aw, do we really have to go now?" He mock-whined. "Couldn't we…you know…" He cocked his head towards the bed as if to convey that we slip in.

Tilting my head slightly I began to move towards the bed, Luke let go of my waist and made to follow me, but just as he let go I stepped away from the bed and briskly pulled on my jacket. "I'm not even fifteen, sweetie. Just cause I'm the daughter of a Titan doesn't make me a slut," I smirked at Luke as I snatched my sword from its perch on the wall and slipped through the front flap of the tent.

Alex stood outside waiting for me. He was already dressed in his traveling clothes; he wore a similar coat to mine, as it was a cold spring day. Over his shoulder hung his quiver filled with red-feathered arrows and his bow was held tightly in his hand.

"Good Morning, Captain," he smiled, his sun-lit eyes reflected his exhaustion; dark circles covered his seasonal freckles, but his Apollo-light, as I had come to call it, still shone brightly.

"You know you don't have to call me that, eh?" I said, brushing my now-short hair out of my face. I had cut it a few months ago to better suit my position. There had been many who deemed me unworthy of leading Kronos' army, but I soon proved otherwise. Luke and Alex spent countless hours teaching me how to fight; my archery skills were minimal, and I had very poor aim. On one occasion I had missed the target by so much that my arrow was found embedded in the shoulder of a rather startled son of Hestia who had been watching from far off to the side. However, it was soon discovered by Luke that I had an aptitude for fencing. He taught me how to study my opponents with great detail and use both their strengths and weaknesses to my benefit. The cyclops whom we recruited had brandished me a sword similar to Luke's; able to wound both mortals and immortals. The handle shone a resonating blue and was designed as the head of a dragon, the eyes gleaming at any aggressor and the blade protruding from the dragon's ferocious jaws. I called it Bluefire, which Luke tells me is _Mple Purkagias_ in ancient Greek, but I find that _horribly_ difficult to pronounce. The blade was like no other; it had jagged edges as to cause severe damage to its victims and to display the beauty of a dragon's flame.

"You two ready?" Luke had just emerged from the tent behind me. Backbiter was fastened at his waist and a small vile rested in his leather vest pocket. His arms were bare, showing off his enticing biceps.

"Let's get going," on my command we made our way through the Titan encampment. All around us were various tents, all marked with the symbol of Kronos, but none of them quite as extravagant as mine own. Soldiers fell into low bows as I passed as a sign of my authority and power. I made sure to keep my head held high and avoided any eye contact, for that would only show weakness on my part. There was everything from half-bloods to dracaenas to cyclops. It had given me quite a fright when I originally laid eyes upon the beasts, but I had trained myself not to show emotion around my men; emotion showed weakness and weakness was not a positive trait for the leader of the Titan army.

It had not yet been a year since Alex brought me to Camp Half-Blood; in these short months I had changed so much. A year ago I was a poor, orphan girl, lost and alone, but now I was the daughter of the Titan Lord, Kronos, and the most feared enemy of Camp Half-Blood and Percy Jackson himself.

Eventually we reached the camp's edge, where we hopped into a large SUV. We used Luke's ability to create portals very little for it took time and drained him of the vast majority of his energy. When he created the portal that transported us to this camp originally he was bedridden for almost a week before he had enough strength to merely walk, but it was all right. Due to my malnourishment I was bedridden myself and exhausted from using mine own powers.

Luke took the driver's seat and reared the engine as I claimed shotgun and Alex hopped grudgingly in the back, eying Luke and me as we stole flirtatious glances at each other.

Our task was simple; we were to travel to Camp Half-Blood and poison the pine tree atop the hill. Of course we were to do it inconspicuously and therefore as fast as possible. But the purpose was far greater than anyone at the camp would comprehend. Not only would this disable the camp's defenses and therefore make it more feasible to attack, but also it would force campers to search for an antidote and therefore decide upon retrieving the Golden Fleece; the fleece skimmed from a golden ram, hundreds of years ago. It is not easy to retrieve as it is on an island inhabited by a ruthless cyclops and surrounded by a sea of monsters. Once the campers have the fleece in their possession and are safely out of the sea of monster we would ambush them and claim the fleece as our own.

It was Luke who first informed me of this clever plot, my father had ordered it of him in a dream, but no matter how much Luke insisted upon this plan I could tell that there was something wrong. There was a certain glint in his precious blue eyes that I had only seen once before when Alex had accused him of being responsible for a girl's death.

After what seemed like hours Luke turned off the highway onto a wide country road that I had traveled on once before in a small taxi.

It was not long before we came upon Half-Blood Hill. It was a single clear hill, in the middle of a dense forest, hiding the camp from view. Beyond it strawberry fields stretched on for miles, but there was no sign of the camp's existence or that any abnormal activities occurred just beyond the ridges. In the centre of the hill, surrounded by neatly cut green grass stood a magnificent pine tree, it's branches reaching across the lawn in a warming embrace. The sun shone brightly in the early-morning mist, and a cool breeze swept past my face in a bone chilling sensation. Grabbing our weapons we began our assent.

As I stood atop of the hill, eying the tree with horror and desperation I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Luke with his other hand resting on Backbiter. "You okay?" He asked, his eyes staring intently into mine.

"No," I answered honestly, "But that doesn't matter now. Hopefully in a few hours time I'll finally be claimed and I'll have earned my place as captain." It was true, that was all I wanted right now, and nothing could stop me from achieving this quest. All that I could think of was that my prayers would finally be answered; I would finally have a home.

"Um...Guys?" I hadn't noticed Alex come up behind us, his bow loaded.

Luke released his grip on my shoulder and turned to face him. In the early-morning light I could see his mouth open to ask what Alex wanted, but his voice was lost as his jaw dropped in a horrified glare. He drew his sword and motioned for me to turn around.

Reluctantly I turned to behold the sight that had my companions paralyzed with fear; a girl stood at the edge of the courtyard, her ratty brown hair was tied up in a messy bun. Her eyes were red with fury as they narrowed in on me. I drew my blade and held it as a challenge for the girl, but as I glared at her I was reminded of my last day here; I had protected Luke from a daughter of Ares.

"Clarisse..." Luke muttered as he stood beside me, eyes fixed on the girl. She was furious that I had bested her and it seemed that the months since then only strengthened her grudge.

"Luke, go," I whispered, "You know what to do. Alex, when I say so: shoot her."

Neither of them spoke. Luke disappeared behind me and bent low to inject the poison into the tree's trunk. Alex nodded and raised his bow towards Clarisse, an injustice glare in his eyes that I had watched develop over his months in the titan army. He had trained many the skill of archery so as to earn the title of master archer.

I eyed Clarisse as she slowly stepped towards us, a gleam in her eyes as if she hid a secret, as if she knew something that I didn't. Yet I did not have to look into her past to discover it because at that moment a line three archers came into view from behind the cabins. They held their weapons rather weakly as if they did not wish to fight, but were forced to do so.

They were advancing rapidly now, the archers lingering back. What were they waiting for, why wouldn't they shoot?

Clarisse lifted her spear and broke into a run, as she ran she screamed, "Ares!"

"Luke," I called impatiently back to him, "What are you waiting for? Do it!"

(Luke's POV)

The truth was that I couldn't do it. This tree was all that was left of Thalia. Rebecca had no idea what Thalia had done for the world, and for me. She had saved my life by giving her own. Now I was asked to poison the very tree that her life resided in. I knew that I must do it; it was Kronos' wish, his order. If I were to keep my honor then I had to do it. I loved Thalia then, and I still loved her now, but I cared for Rebecca more than anything, and if I were to prove that love then I had to do it. I had to choose.

With my sword I tapped a small hole in the tree's trunk and reluctantly began to poor the poison in, killing the tree and the life within it.

"Luke!" I turned abruptly as Rebecca shrieked my name, dropping the small vial. Before I knew what was happening I felt a sharp pain in my side. Looking down upon it I saw a golden arrow had scrapped roughly against my left side; blood came rushing out in pools. I attempted to sit up but the pain was too great. I fell back with a screech.

"Luke," Rebecca was running towards me, eyes fixed on my wound. "Oh my gods..." Stabbing her sword into the ground she knelt down beside me. "It's gonna` be okay." My vision was blurring, her radiant red hair fell elegantly in front of her golden eyes, hiding the tears that fell down her face in heavy streams. Her head kept flailing back at Alex as he continued to shoot the other archers, but Clarisse was fast approaching on him, he needed Rebecca's help and fast.

(Rebecca's POV)

It was all wrong; it wasn't suppose to be like this. I focused in on Luke's atrocious wound. His side bled in a steady stream, it took everything for me to look into his eyes. He was dying and it was my fault; I shouldn't have let him come. I had plenty of armed men that would be more than willing to sacrifice themselves for this mission. I flung my head back to view Alex. He was down to his last few arrows and Clarisse was only meters away, her sword raised to strike.

Wiping the tears from my eyes I turned back to Luke. "Luke, here," I quickly ripped off a piece of cloth from my undershirt and pressed it to his wound. "It'll be okay…I promise."

He did not speak; he merely stared at me with his light blue eyes and cupped his hand longingly around my face. I rested my head there for a moment, but no longer because at the moment I heard the atrocious sound of swords clashing behind me. I turned to lay eyes upon Alex, who had just drawn his own blade to ward off Clarisse. The archers had abandoned their own bows and were racing towards Alex with swords of their own.

Hastily, I drew Bluefire from the earth. "Hey Clarisse," I found myself snide. "Why don't you come here and fight someone your own…gender." It wasn't the most taunting remark I could have said, but my mind was too muddled to come up with something more rendering.

With great relief on my part Clarisse deserted her duel with Alex to face me, for at that moment the archers had reached Alex and slashed at his arm. Alex easily paired the blow and reposed it with a thrust to his sibling's arm.

I could not observe his fight any longer as Clarisse had thrust her own blade at my abdomen. I blocked it with Bluefire, disengaged the blow as to get a clear shot at her throat.

"Is that the best you got, punk?" Clarisse spat as our blades crossed, we stood nose-to-nose, as she pressed hard on my blade. I laughed, twisted my blade around hers so that Bluefire was mere inches from her throat and her sword was caught between her body and my blade.

"Oh, you don't want to see the best I got." At this she pushed me back with what seemed to be all her might. I flew back in a heap but quickly caught the ground with my sword to stop me from tumbling down the hillside. Lifting my head, my vision became filled by the robust Clarisse, she laughed.

"They say you're powerful; a real threat to us, but the truth is that you're _pathetic_," She spat on the ground mere inches from my face.

Disgusted, I used Bluefire as leverage to help me to my feet. Clarisse attempted to plunge her blade into my stomach but I was too quick for her. In a bout of rage I beat her blade roughly aside and aimed for her throat, but anticipating my move she spun on her heel and attacked me from behind. I swung my blade behind me, knocking Clarisse's blade away from me and out of her hand.

In the brief moment when she flustered to retrieve her weapon I glanced around to find the archer's lying in a heap on the ground, their heads bleeding profusely. I searched the hilltop for Alex; he was nowhere near Luke. I scanned the hillside for a sign of him, but then it hit me. I turned to see my aggressor, who had retrieved her sword. She was eying me maliciously, her mouth fell into a tight smirk as I laid my eyes upon the sight I'd been dreading.

Alex was held in Clarisse's tight grip, her sword laid upon his throat ready to slice. He looked tired; his body was a mess of bruises and cuts. Never having been the best fencer I didn't expect him to take down three of his siblings without difficulty. I caught his gaze, which relayed a look of apologetic fear.

"Drop your weapon," Clarisse snarled, "Or I'll slice his throat."

My heart began to thump at a mile per minute; I could feel my face begin to burn with shock and fear. Alex looked so helpless; she would kill him if I didn't do something quickly. I could see her blade slowly digging deeper into his throat so that a fragment of blood began to drip from his atoms apple.

"Rebecca," Alex struggled to speak around the blade, "Don't do it. Don't give into her!"

"Uh-uh, you don't speak," threatened Clarisse, tapping her blade against his neck. "You're a traitor, Alex Rideau." She cut deeper into his neck causing him to wince.

"Fine," I found myself say. I could not allow Alex to die because of me; I couldn't live without him. I surrendered my blade to the softness of the earth feeling the dew soak it's hilt. Then I slowly began to rise to face Clarisse.

"Rebecca!" Alex screamed, eyes wide with alarm as they were fixed on something behind me. I turned around just in time to see one of the archers, now standing, swing their celestial bronze blade to slash me through, but it was caught barely two inches from my face by Luke's blade. He had rose from his place near the tree and clenched his side agonizingly with the cloth I had given him, now blood red and soaking. Flurrying his blade he beat the archer's sword out of his hand and embedded Backbiter into his ribs. I heard Alex give out a deafening screech as his sibling fell to the ground, dead. But unfortunately Luke fell mere moments later in a ball on the grass, his side bleeding profusely now.

Shocked, I turned back to Clarisse who still held Alex in a death grip, her sword now pointing at his back. Her eyes were fixed on her fallen comrade, and for the first time I saw fear reflecting in them, the thought that she could share the same fate with a single blow. If I only froze time I could land that blow, but my mind was too busy, I couldn't focus enough to freeze an ant, let alone a person.

After what seemed like hours of her staring at the son of Apollo, Clarisse raised her gaze to scowl at me. Her eyebrows were knit tightly together and her lips were pierced in an unruly snarl.

Neither of us spoke; her glowering look relayed only a single message, _you will pay. _If only I knew how soon I would pay, for at that moment Clarisse pressed on her blade and drove it through Alex's chest, twisting it for full effect. His eyes shot wide with anguishing pain as his head dropped to watch her remove the blade less than gracefully. Blood spewed in every direction out of his chest, my heart sank as Clarisse's sword left his flesh along with a surpassing amount of blood.

I had no weapon, I had no way of fighting her with her sword, but there was one thing that I did have that she would not expect. So as Alex fell to the ground limply her eyes followed him and I threw a powerful right hook at her nose, knocking her out cold, her nose a mess of blood.

My fist was red with her blood and I was pretty sure that I had broken a knuckle, but I did not care. "Alex," I threw my aching body down beside him, rolling him over so that his head nested in my lap. He was bleeding uncontrollably from his chest, his skin was pale and cold, and his Apollo-light had dimmed to almost nothing. "Alex, you're light's fading…" I made to rip off a piece of cloth like I had done for Luke, but Alex stopped me. His hand fell weakly on mine.

"No," he breathed, "It's too late, Rebecca."

I began to sob, the tears flowing down my face and into his sandy hair. "No…"

"Shh…here," he pulled out a small cube of what looked like a caramel tart without icing. "It's…ambrosia…for…Luke…" Blood flew out of his mouth as he let out a raspy cough.

I took the ambrosia, "Alex…please…it's gonna` be all right," I tried to smile, but began to sob even harder.

"No," he wiped a tear ruefully off my face, but then his hand went slack and his shaky breathing ceased.

"Alex?" I shook him stubbornly, unwilling to admit his death. "Alex, no! **No!**"

Crying copiously I stumbled over to where Luke lay in a heap, his skin as pale as Alex's. Crying tenderly I pressed the ambrosia into his mouth, forcing him to swallow it. "Please," I whispered, "Please, not you too." Vision blinded by tears I peaked at Alex's motionless body and then turned back to Luke. "I love you Luke…"

"I love you too, Rebecca," his eyes opened in a welcoming stare. Smiling, he sat up and planted the most adoring kiss on my lips that I had ever experienced. "I love you so much."

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**K, so I didn't want to comment at the beginning as to ruin the mood, but here we go.  
So, I know it took awhile to post, but it's pretty darn long so that better compensate for SOMETHING. lol. Truthfully I wanted to go longer but I had to fit that all into one chapter or it wouldn't work right cause the rest of it will actually occur DURING the book.  
SONGS: Iron by within temptation cause of the war, forgiven, also by within temptation, and I figure that hand of sorrow by within temptation works for BOTH luke and alex :P  
So, there's the beginning of part 2, hope you liked it, reviews are requested (not really the word i'm looking for...) and oh yeah, thanks to all those who HAVE been reviewing! 3**


	12. An Unexpected Encounter

**So, this one's got a lot of point of view changes, so srry about that :P anyways, wasn't able to come up with a song, parsay, for this chapter, except for maybe 'Wave over Wave' by Great Big Sea, which had NOTHING to do with the plot :P anyways, here's chapter 12. enjoy!**

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(Percy's POV)

I woke up with a start. Being the son of the sea god, you'd think that I would have no problem sleeping on a boat, but there was something different about this boat; a certain presence that I had not felt in over a year, but I was too naive to realize it.

Last summer had been the most adventurous one of my life; not only had I gone on a quest to retrieve Zeus' master bolt, but when I returned to camp I was welcomed by a scorpion's venom, courtesy of Luke Castellan. He had left that very day with Rebecca and a son of Apollo; vanished and never to be seen again. Chiron has been worrying about Rebecca and Luke all year: what they've been up to, whether they're working for Kronos, and if and when they'll strike against the camp. However, they are not the only addresses of the camp director's worry, I have been forced to endure the past year with him sending me letters, sometimes asking me to return to camp, but I assured him that I was fine.

When I came back to camp this summer he left almost immediately without a word. It was discovered that the tree on Half-Blood Hill was poisoned, the very tree that protected the valley from all evil. Mr. D had to blame someone for this 'accident' and therefore placed it upon Chiron, for he is the son of Kronos, and after Rebecca's actions, children of Kronos are not thought highly of. Clarisse was convinced that the camp had been attacked in the spring by a group of three half-bloods, including an Apollo archer, whom she killed. But when asked if the other two had been Rebecca and Luke she merely said. "I…I can't remember…" This explanation was not suitable for Mr. D, so he completely ignored the story, even though two of our own archers were seriously injured, and another dead; he refused to believe it.

Grover has been searching for pan, the god of nature, all year and on his quest he thought he found Pan, but it really was the fleece. Tantalus, Chiron's replacement, had sent Clarisse on a quest to get the fleece.

I needed to help Grover, so I snuck out of camp along with one of my best friends, Annabeth Chase and my half-brother, Tyson, who just so happens to be a cyclops.

Morning did not come for many hours; by the time the sun shone welcomingly into our room I was exhausted and soar from lying awake in bed for so long. I strode across the sun-streaked room to wake Tyson.

"Tyson, hey…wake up bud."

He grunted in protest but rose from beneath his covers yawning loudly. "It morning already?"

"Yeah, let's-" but at that moment an oddly cheery voice came on the intercom, "Good morning passengers! We'll be at sea all day today, so get ready for fun, fun, fun…" He went on to describe the daily activities. I could have sworn I heard something about disemboweling practice; it must have been my mind playing tricks on me. It most likely was related to that dream about Rebecca dissembling a corps.

As he piped on the door flew open and in streaked a nest of curly blond hair. Annabeth stood with her dagger just visible from underneath her shirt, a duffle bag of supplies hung from her shoulder, causing it to sag. She dropped it weightily on the floor.

"_Disemboweling practice_?" She asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "Morning Percy," she gleamed, pulling her hair back into a messy bun. "Sleep well?"

I shrugged, shoving my own duffle bag underneath the bed and securing that my lethal ballpoint pen was safely in my jeans pocket. Then, groggily, I followed Annabeth out of the room and onto the boat's deck.

Strolling around the cruise ship I began to realize that none of the passengers were acting exactly normal. They seemed to be in some sort of trance with a white glaze over their eyes and speaking in a wistful manner. Then we saw it; there was a huge black hellhound. It was about the size of a grizzly bear with large paws and claws as sharp as steak knives. I froze as I laid eyes upon the beast, I could feel where a similar creature had attacked me last summer, its claws embedded deep into my skin.

I slowly crooked my head to meet Annabeth's horrified gaze. Her lips quivering she mouthed the words 'Let's go.' Without delay the three of us sprinted back to our rooms to grab our duffle bags loaded with supplies. Racing away from the monster we bolted away from the deck and ventured up the stairs to deck thirteen. We were coming up on the admiralty suite when Annabeth hissed, "Hide!" She shoved us into a supply closet, and we waited, not even daring to breath.

(Rebecca's POV)

I rubbed my brow agitated, pinching my skin together beneath my bangs. "I don't care what you think Luke. Chiron isn't gone for good, I know it."

"Are you kidding me, Rebecca? With the skeletons in _his_ closet he's done for."

I know Luke meant well, after Alex died he had done everything in his power to protect me, for we both were struck with how dangerous this was. Ever since Alex's untimely death I had been very cautious with all of my actions; it was my fault that he died, I could have defeated Clarisse, I could have killed her, but I let my nerves get the best of me. I was not in a state to lose Luke, not now.

"How do you know? If they're smart they'll realize it was you, Clarisse will remember, the archers will remember. I can't bare the though of…" I trailed off, unable to speak the words that I had feared since Alex's death.

Luke placed his hand on my shoulder and whispered, "It'll be fine, don't worry." He pressed his lips against mine, sending a reassuring quiver down my spine, those sweet blue eyes gazing longingly into mine. "I love you, Rebecca. I won't let anything happen to you," he said, cupping my face in his hands.

"But it's not me I'm worried about," I frowned.

He opened his mouth to speak but the small noise of footsteps caused me to stop him.

"_Quiet!_" I held my finger up to shush him. "They're here.

"Are you sure?" He asked in a whisper.

"Right outside." I gestured to Agrius and Oreius, who were sitting on the coach, their beastly forms shedding on the fabric, to follow us outside.

I heard a single word leave a small mouth as Luke burst through the stateroom doors and there stood Percy Jackson, and Annabeth Chase guarded by a cowering Cyclops. Agrius and Oreius aimed the bronze tips of their javelins at their chests.

"Well," Luke said with a disappointed smile. "If it isn't my two favourite cousins. Nice of you to drop in."

One year, a whole year passed since my father first came to me, told me of my heritage and the great destiny that lay before me. A destiny of power and forces beyond reckoning. Since then I had done many great things; I had created an army able to defeat any mortal forces. I had performed tasks for Kronos that deemed me a villain to others; with Luke's help I had not only demolished the defenses of Camp Half-Blood but also retrieved the very sarcophagus in which my father's remains lay. Although his body still lay in the depths of Tartarus his soul was reforming in this very coffin. Because of me Kronos would live again, so why had he not claimed me yet?

I hoped, prayed that he would, but he hadn't. I would spend days on end in the stateroom, alone with his golden coffin. I didn't dare touch it, though, it just didn't seem right. Luke was persuading me to touch it, and then maybe…but Percy Jackson just had to go on and ruin it.

"Perseus Jackson," I said, and he perked up from his fetal position on the sofa. "What do you mean by all this?

His sea-green eyes shot open behind his shaggy black hair, "What?"

Rolling my eyes I strode towards him and found my eyes staring down on him in disgust. "You treated me with kindness, but shortly afterwards when I was thrown in a cell you did _nothing_ to stop it. In fact, I am led to believe that you _supported_ Chiron's decision. Now, just as my life is beginning to take a turn for the better you invade upon it yet _again_."

(Percy's POV)

Rebecca had changed since last summer; she towered over me in a dominant stance and her hair was cut short as to accent her menacing features. She wore a brown leather shirt showing off her slim figure and she wore heavy black eye makeup. Her skin was pale white and seemed that it would be ice cold to the touch. But then I heard her voice, it wasn't the same; she seemed less confused and more fierce. Her voice was nothing but hatred as she spoke to me, and that glare, those piercing golden eyes narrowed in on me as if I was a pathetic ant she wished to step on.

"So, Jackson," she drawled, "You have two choices. Either I kill you and _then_ kill your friends, or you can stay alive a little longer and you _watch_ me kill your friends."

"Rebecca," Luke nudged her reprovingly. "Remember what I told you about-"

"Annabeth," Rebecca butt in maliciously. "Yeah, I remember. I don't see why-

"Please," he pleaded, speaking over her shoulder.

She turned to him reproachfully, "We'll see."

Judging by the shock on Luke's face it seemed that she did not often speak to him like this. I shot a look over at Tyson, who was cowering in the corner, and Annabeth, who was watching the couple intently.

"So, shall we get on with this?" Luke gestured to a gold sarcophagus in the back of the room.

Rebecca nodded and a cold smirk shot across her pale face.


	13. Child of Time

**Here's the next chapter. I know, a few of these are quite short, but in a bit they'll get longer...and better :)  
Disclaim: I don't own the PJO series  
Enjoy! oh SON: Ice Queen by Within Temptation, and maybe Dark Chest of Wonder by Nightwish.**

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Reluctantly, I turned my back on the group and strolled towards the gold sarcophagus. Etched on its edges was an ancient Greek scripture, which retold the great rule of Lord Kronos. On the lid was carved a depiction of my father's body, a large scythe held firmly in his hands. I could feel the power of the Titan omitting from the casket, it was warmth to the senses and a tingle to the nerves.

Taking a deep breath I hesitantly moved my hands to hover over the monument and then placed them firmly on the drawing's arm. As my hands sunk against the material I felt a hot breeze sweep across my face, sending my hair flying behind my shoulders, but then the breeze cooled and the hair on my back shot to life. The sensation left a joyful plea upon my heart, but then it caused my heart to sink in a sorrowful manner. In short terms the feeling can only be described as one thing; time.

Noticing that I had shut my eyes, I opened them letting my lashes shoot towards my eyelids and my head to fly back gleefully to view the glowing form of a scythe crossed with an hourglass; the sign of Kronos, the symbol of my father.

I spun triumphantly on my heel to face Luke's gleaming face. Flying my arms around him he embraced me gaily before I released my grip. I heard myself let out a victorious laugh; I was claimed, my life was finally complete, I could finally say that I had a real family and a real home. As Luke drew away my smile was replaced with my normal stern expression, showing no sign of emotion, as I turned to face Percy.

As I laid eyes upon him my vision became blurred with visions of his past; I saw him as a small child gorging on a slice of blue birthday cake, then he was eight and sitting in a principal's office, then he was alone in his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. Here, though, the vision lingered as Annabeth slowly progressed into the room and sat down in Percy's bed next to him. She clapped a hand affectionately on his back as he raised his hand from its branch in his hands.

"I don't understand why she would do that?" Percy sobbed.

"She's a daughter of…of Kronos," Annabeth winced as she spoke the name, "You can hardly expect her to do otherwise." With a shock I realized they were discussing me.

"They threw her in a dungeon, Annabeth!" Percy's voice cracked.

"She would have killed you, Percy!" Annabeth retorted, "Just like her father tried to do. Good riddance she's gone. In fact, she deserves what's coming for her."

"Yeah," he sighed, "I guess you're right."

And as soon as it had come, the vision faded and I was back on the Princess Andromeda with Luke staring wearily at me.

"Rebecca?"

I drew my gaze quickly away from Percy and turned to face Luke, who was steadying me by the arm. "Huh?"

"Another vision?"

I nodded, pulling my arm out of his grip, "I just need some fresh air."

Ignoring the curious glares of Percy and Annabeth I made for the side rail, where I stood watching the waves crash violently against the steel side of the ship. I listened intently to the songs of the sea gulls flying overhead in the beautiful summer sun. It was a glorious day; I felt my skin soaking in the rays of the sun in gaping amounts. The sea, which we rode on, belonged to the all-powerful Poseidon, _Ha,_ I thought, _What a joke. That kelp-faced bastard will soon rot in Tartarus._ All that I had to do was recruit more men. Every single being who pledged their allegiance would cause another peace of my father to rise from Tartarus, and he would grow stronger. As soon as Kronos rose we would destroy Olympus, and with it, all of Western Civilization. It shall be the dawn of a new era, the next golden era, expect this time, Kronos will not be defeated so likely. It was a perfect plan, and with Jackson out of the picture, it would be even easier.

As I squeezed the sidebars with my large hands I felt an odd sensation tingling in them; it felt like a renowned power that had not resided there before. I felt an urge to test this new force and discover what strengths my claiming had given me.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and I turned to find Oreius leading Percy and his friends to the elevator. "Oreius," he stopped immediately, "I'd like a word with there three."

He nodded, but didn't' dare speak.

Pushing off the railing, I walked over to my enemy. I stopped when I was less than a foot away from Percy. I looked down at the son of Poseidon.

"I shook my head, "Jackson."

"What do you want?" he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, nothing…I just figured that you must be ashamed of your father."

"What?" He looked taken aback.

"He is the god of the sea, is he not?"

"What's your point _Rebecca_?" Annabeth spat my name as if it was some infectious disease.

"My _point_, _Annabeth_," I mocked her whinny voice, "Is that Poseidon is suppose to be able to control the sea, and look what he let sail on it." I gestured to the vast expanse of the ship.

"You're just like your father," Annabeth mumbled.

"Why, thank you," I turned dramatically back to Percy, who wore a look of pure hatred. "I want you to realize something, Percy. That is, I know what your plan is."

Annabeth shuffled her feet in agitation.

"Oh stop fussing, Chase. You can hear this too." I turned my gaze back to Percy. "I know you fate, Percy, and I'm displeased to say that it does not land with you dying here today."

"If you're so sure about this, then why don't you just kill us now?" Annabeth sneered.

"Because, Miss Chase, where is the fun in that? I want to see you suffer; I want to see you hurt, just like I did. Who know, maybe you will die on this quest anyway. So, you see, there is no point in me killing you…_yet._"

"Stay away from them," the cyclops spoke for the first time, stepping in front of his companions.

"And I suppose a young cyclops like yourself is going to stop me?" I took a step towards him and gripped my hand around his neck, feeling the power radiating off of me. I focused my attention on the cyclops, my pulse quickened, my body temperature rose. Still gripping his neck firmly, I watched as he grew to stupendous heights until he was a full-grown cyclops, stooping uncomfortably to avoid clashing his head against the oat's side. Then his skin began to crease and his back hunched in a frail ark. I could feel his pulse weaken and his eyes shot open in pain and anguish. The power was extravagant; I could feel myself strengthen as the cyclops weakened.

"Get away from him!" Percy yelped. Oreius' javelin was the only thing stopping him from lunging at me.

I let go and the cyclops[s became his own young self. He gripped his neck in agony and breathed heavily.

"Oh," I said, breathing deeply,  
"Suck it up, buttercup. Like I said, I won't kill any of you," I shot a furious look deep into their eyes, "_Yet._"

With that I turned away from the group and as I walked back into the stateroom a small smirk played across my face. I made to join Luke, who sat comfortably on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table.

"What?" He laughed, noting my smile.

"Oh," I curled my knees in to that I faced him, "Just a good day."

"Oh yeah," he sat up so that my legs slipped underneath his and my head fell back to the sofa's cushion. "Happy Birthday," he let his lips fall intensely onto mine as he hovered mere inches from my strengthening form, and I slowly but surely caressed his six-pack.


	14. The Watcher

**Here's chpt 14, don't have much to say about it...so enjoy!**

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"I don't care what he told you. I want to you to tell my father that you _can't_ go to Miami. I don't care what it takes, just tell him that…" I trailed off, unable to find the right words to persuade Luke to stay. It was becoming nigh impossible to keep him safe these days. He was taking so many orders from Kronos without question or a thought to talk to me about it. My father had only just begun to reform yet Luke treated him like he sat upon a large, golden throne in our camp. On this day Luke informed me of his plans to go to Miami to claim the fleece from Percy, but he was to go without me, which was infuriating.

"You worry too much, Rebecca," Luke said, "Look, I'll go to Miami, kill Percy, get the fleece, and come right back here. I'll be back before you know I'm gone." He attempted to draw me close, rubbing my shoulders in persuasion.

I lifted my head and looked at him quizzically, "By the time you get back I'll be long g-" I caught myself revealing my plans to Luke. It was suppose to be a private matter of mine, one of which would help us greatly in this war.

"Gone? Gone where?" His tone growing harsh, he pushed away from me.

"Luke, I didn't want-"

"Me to worry? Didn't you think I would worry if I came back and you weren't here?" He sighed, "Where are you going?"

I threw my head back in frustration, rubbing my eyes before I answered reluctantly, "I'm going to the Hunter's camp. I've got to try and recruit at least _some_ of them."

"And what if Artemis catches you? What will you do then?" He retorted.

Rolling my eyes, I answered, "It's not like I'll be all alone. Jane's coming with me, I'll be fine."

"Oh great, a daughter of Aphrodite," he said sarcastically. "That'll be so much help."

"She's a great fighter Luke. I trained her myself, she's better then half the men here." I gestured at the cloth tents around us. It was then that I realized our quarrel wasn't a private one. There were at least thirty half-bloods and monsters staring at us intently, pausing from their work to observe our row. I looked around into their eyes with disgust. "What do you think you all are staring at?" I snapped. "Get your lazy asses back to work." Their faces filling with terror they quickly proceeded back to their work.

It seemed that these rows were occurring more often as the weeks went on; it seemed that Luke was growing closer to Kronos with every passing day and more distant from me. We had returned to the camp together almost immediately after my claiming again almost immediately Kronos wished for Luke to return to the Princess Andromeda, but without me. I had been experiencing horrific dreams of what my father wished of me, but no matter how much I obeyed he would not spare Luke. My feelings for Luke had grown much since we met and it seemed that I cared more for him than I had ever cared for a person before, and I knew he felt the same, so that's why I hated seeing him fall victim to my father's influence.

"Just go," I found myself ushering Luke away.

"But-"

"Go before I change my mind," I laughed as he departed for the harbor where he would board the Princess Andromeda. But as I turned away from his beaming figure my smile faded and was replaced with a look of pure anxiety.

I made way for my tent, where I hoped for some peace and quiet, but before I could reach the tall structure I was approached by a tall dracaena, her lizard-like figure stooping into a low bow.

Rolling my neck to crack it I asked the monster, "What is it?"

She rose to her full height and towered over me as she explained, "We caught a demigod sssneaking around."

Craning my neck to see past her I noticed two half-bloods, wearing the sign of Kronos on their armor, holding fast to a boy with dirty-blond hair and a scrawny build. He tried to look up at me, but the girl on his right pushed his head roughly down again.

"No!" I held up a hand to stop her. "I want to look him in the eyes." The girl quickly lifted his head and positioned it so that I had a clear view into his deep grey eyes. My vision was flooded with images of his past. His name was Samuel Regnor, and he had been discovered nearly a month prior by ruthless monsters, who had attempted to kill him, but he was saved by a stout satyr who wished to lead him to Camp Half-Blood. However, on their journey they were ambushed by a heard of hellhounds, who killed the satyr. Samuel escaped, but only because my men had been there, warding off the vicious creatures. Samuel had then followed the group of them back to base, where he was caught as an intruder.

With a jolt, I staggered back to reality, where I was steadied by the dracaena. Blinking heavily, I turned back to the son of Athena. "Tell me, Samuel, what exactly you planned to accomplish by following my men."

He stared at me in bewilderment, "How did you-"

The girl, Rachel, who held onto him laughed, "Do you _really_ not know to whom you speak?"

I raised my hand once again to silence the daughter of Hestia, "He has only recently been claimed, Rachel. It is quite understandable that word has not yet reached him of me."

"Of you-what?" Samuel stuttered, mouth still gaping.

I smiled, "My name is Rebecca Vise, daughter of the Titan Lord, Kronos," my chin traced a path high into the air.

Eyes wide, he spoke in a small whisper. "I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't know…Renny, the satyr that was guiding me, he said something about a child of Kronos leading an army, but…I thought…I didn't expect you to be…a _girl._"

"Ha! No, of course you didn't, but here I stand."

Samuel bowed his head low, still held firmly by Rachel and another boy.

"Release him," their eyes shot towards me. "Take him to the armory and prepare him for orientation."

"But…" Rachel began, stunned with my orders.

"He will not harm us, Rachel, he has had no proper training and has not set foot on Camp Half-Blood. He is no threat to us, but more so…a gift. We may as well accept this gift that has been bestowed upon us," I explained. "Although I would have rathered a son of Apollo. We have been short on strong archers since…" I could not bring myself to mention Alex again. Every time the fact of his death was repeated to me it felt like a stab in the chest. An old battle wound that had been ripped open to find that it had never truly healed, and it probably never would. I shook my head in attempt to rid the painful memory from my thoughts, "What say you, son of Athena? Would you like to join the Titan army, would you like to pledge your allegiance to Kronos, the Titan Lord and future ruler of Olympus?"

Swallowing hard he whispered, "Yes," his grey eyes were alit with delight.

"Yes, what?" I urged.

"Yes, I would like to join the Titan army," his voice was rising with excitement.

"Pledge your allegiance to the Titan Lord."

"I pledge my allegiance to the Titan Lord, Kronos," he shouted.

A small smirk lingered across my pale face, "Very good." I turned to the dracaena, "Take him to the armory."

I turned and once again made my way to my tent, feeling a sudden sense of accomplishment.

Once I reached the tall structure I threw open the flap in a swift flick of my wrist. The sun was setting; it cast a dim glow through the cloth causing the emblem of Kronos to cast a light shadow over the spacious room. Bending low next to my bed I lit a match and passed the warm flame onto a candle, which rested on my bedside table.

Picking up the candle, I wandered over to the opposite side of the tent and found myself staring at an austere face. My own golden eyes, reflected in the mirror, cast a terrifying glare. I had changed so much since last summer. I use to dread my height, and would constantly stoop low as to hide myself in a crowd, but now I held myself high and was not afraid to tower over others. I had recently begun to wear heavy makeup as to accent my eyes, emitting the golden sheen of Kronos' heritage. The newest addition to my appearance was only visible when I wore a tank-top, for on my shoulder rested a dark tattoo of a scythe crossed with an hourglass, but elapsed over my father's symbol was a piercing golden eye.

This design had appeared the night of my fifteenth birthday after I was claimed. It had woken me from a deep slumber with a searing pain in my shoulder as if someone had pressed a hot brander to my skin. When I removed the cloth of my shirt I saw the symbol blazing red, scorching to the touch. Luke had been my only comfort for what seemed like hours as I screamed in anguish and the emblem embedded itself in my skin.

When the pain had finally subsided I was greeted by the rattling voice of Kronos echoing in my head, _Be glad, you are now marked as my daughter and Watcher._

_Your what?_ I thought, still crying from the pain.

_Watcher child. Use this power. Look deep into the hearts of our enemies. Watch their past, present, and future._

_Is this necessary?_ I asked, annoyed.

_Do you doubt me, you ungrateful-_ My fresh mark burned once again, causing me to scream in the night.

_No! No, I don't doubt,_ I pleaded.

_Good._ The pain subsided once again. _Take this then, as a token of your parentage and my power._

I golden necklace appeared around my slender neck. It looked like a small clock surrounded by the frozen form of a hydra sleeping; its many heads intertwined around the hands of the clock and the frame. I gripped it in my callused hand, gratefully. _Thanks, but…_

_Use it, to travel through time to places you wish to be._

_Do you mean I can travel through _time_ with this?_ I asked, eagerly.

_Of course not, time travel is impossible, even for me. You are to use it to travel to the place of your choice. But be warned, for if you over-use it the power will fade and it will feed off of your power to continue to function, slowly killing you._

I sighed, _Thank you…Father?_

But he did not answer, for he was gone, leaving me to my own thoughts of possibilities for this gift.

I pulled my shirt-sleeve back down to cover my tattoo and gripped the small necklace firmly, hoping that if I squeezed it hard enough my father's voice would return to me and he would speak to me again, but his voice never came.

Changing quickly, I slipped into my cot and blew out the candle. I laid my hand on the pillow next to me where Luke usually slept, his blond hair spreading gracefully over the fabric, and his sky-blue eyes staring intently into mine. I tried to imagine him there, hear his voice in my head, but it did not come. I was completely and utterly alone.


	15. Fight or Die

**Sorry this one took so long, I've been busy with exams and such. So, here's some fun reading for ya!  
Enjoy!**

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It had been days since I last spoke with Luke. After our quarrel he left on the Princess Andromeda with his crew of deadly monsters and half-bloods. We'd given up on having those brain-washed mortals on board for they got in the way and too many of them became lunch to the creatures. Those who wouldn't join our cause we used for gruesome entertainment and practice. While my love was on his way to seek out the fleece, I was doing some seeking of my own. Jane and I left as planed for the hunter's camp. The trip would have been much faster had I been travelling alone. I could have time-traveled there and been back with the hunters by mid-day today. However, my father re-informed me of his warning and would hardly let me touch the necklace without sending a searing pain to my marked shoulder. I knew that Luke would never let me go alone, so I decided to bring Jane. Any larger a number would have drawn too much attention. Kronos made it very clear that he did not approve of my choice of companion but that made me feel all the more obligated to retaliate. If he was not going to acknowledge me then I would not obey him.

Before we approached the camp I snuck a glance into Jane's eyes in attempt to see the future of this plan. But when I looked into her sparkling eyes I fell into a pit of despair. There was pain and fire and an over-powering voice echoing in the chasm. There was the face of the maiden goddess staring down upon the daughter of Aphrodite, silver arrow aimed at her chest…

"Rebecca?" Jane shook me back to reality with her soft touch. We lay in the forest peering over a small hill into the hunter's camp, the beige tents seemed to emit a welcoming glow, although I knew what I would find when I entered, and that was anything but welcome. "What is it?" Her locks blew swiftly into my face and her eyes portrayed a frightened emotion.

"It-it's fine," I assured her, trying to keep my voice steady. "Just wait here. I'll be back in a sec."

"But-"

"Wait," I hissed, rising off the ground, my armor weighty on my chest. I didn't bother wearing any protection on my head or legs and my shoulders were barely hidden underneath the sleeves of a ratty t-shirt beneath my Greek armor.

With that I exited the woods and found myself waking along a dirt path leading to the group of tents immersed in the clearing.

As I entered the encampment a sense of protection washed over me. I felt like I belonged here and that no power could drive me away, however I knew better. I progressed cautiously, drawing Bluefire from its sheath at my waist. The early-morning sun reflected off the hilt in a shimmering gleam on the tents.

Closing in on the centre of the camp a sudden snap emitted from beneath my cargo boot; I had broken a small twig underfoot. The small sound alerted a few hunters near by, who drew out of their tents around me, bows drawn. A resonant alarm sounded in centre-camp, alerting the camp of my presence. I made to run and shut off the alarm but one of the archers shouted, "Don't move!"

Agitated, I spun on my heel to face a tall African-American girl, her brown hair braided with long silver ribbons draping across her shoulders. Her dark eyes fixed forebodingly on me. I met her fierce gaze and fought the urge to view her past; although it may have been help I could not lose focus on my situation.

At least a dozen more hunters had emerged from their tents in disheveled states, but they all had their silver arrows aimed threateningly at me.

"Drop your weapon!" The dark girl ordered me.

Reluctantly, I dropped Bluefire on the dusty ground, releasing a small cloud of sand at my feet.

It was only when my sword came to a standstill that a cold laugh echoed behind me. "I had wondered when thee would grant us thy presence, daughter of Kronos."

Slowly, I turned to see a girl a little more kept than the others in a tight silver jumper embroidered with designs of the moon. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a French braid with a small silver circlet resting atop her head.

"And I take it you are Zoe Nightshade?"

Her eyes focused menacingly upon me.

"I've heard quite a lot about you, lieutenant."

"And I thee."

I laughed, "And might I say, you are even more obnoxious in person."

Scowling, she flipped her long braid behind her shoulders, "What is thy business her, Titan?" Arrows in her quiver seemed to shine in the slowly rising sun.

"Isn't it obvious?"

I felt all the hunters gaze focus in on me.

"Join me," I blurted out, more quickly than I would have liked. Taking a shaky breath I continued, "Join the Titans," I gestured welcomingly to the hunters, still aiming their sharp arrows at me. "Fight for me in this war for power of the world."

No one spoke.

The lieutenant let out yet another chuckle, "Does thee truly believe that malady's hunters can be won so easily?"

My face stern I ignored the girl's comment. "With Artemis you stand the threat of attack every day. You are not truly on either side, and if you refuse then my army _will_ come for you and you will not stand a chance. However, if you come with me I will offer you protection from those who would do you harm. _And_ I will free you from this oath you live under."

It was then that one of the hunter's called out, "You speak as if our oath is a burden. You forget that we all chose this life of our own accord."

"Indeed, you may have chosen this life when you joined, but how long ago was that?" The camp was silent; the only sound was the small echo of animals shifting in the distant forest where I knew Jane lay, waiting for me. If only I could get a message to her we could disable this camp in seconds and take the hunters as hostages, but she was too far to hear me, too far to see the dreadful situation I lay in.

"You are trapped here, forced to live an immortal life under the reign of Artemis. Fighting when she tells you, obeying her every command with no true purpose." A few hunters began to lower their bows, but were ushered back into position with a shout from their lieutenant.

"Keep thy bows high, hunters. Do not allow the Titan to penetrate your mind."

"That's rich, coming from you, Zoe," I spat.

"I beg thee pardon?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, which I rarely am, but are you not the daughter of the Titan, Atlas?" It was more a statement than a question.

Her face had gone pale and she stepped back in bewilderment.

"Did you honestly believe that I didn't know? I'm the daughter of _Kronos,_ Zoe. I am his Watcher. There is _nothing_ you can hide from me."

"_'Watcher,'" _She rolled the word around in her small mouth. "Yes, I did hear of that," regaining her superiority she drew forth a small dagger from her hip and stretched it out to my shoulder. I did not try to stop her as she lifted my shirtsleeve delicately to reveal the mark that my father had bestowed upon me. The hunters let our gasps of shock and horror at the eye covering the sign of Kronos.

Jerking my shoulder away I spoke directly to Zoe in a distasteful tone, "Happy now? Glad that the stories people tell about me are true?" Backing away from Zoe's paralyzed form I spoke once again the hunters, "Hunters of Artemis, there may once have been a time which you longed for this immortal life as a hunter, but that time has long passed. A new dawn has come, and it has brought the reign of the Titans once again. Join me and you will be a part of the reign, you will be part of the greatest army the world has ever seen. You will be under the command of the first known demigod daughter of Kronos! Now, what say you?"

The hunters went silent, a few dropped their bows, and the rest merely stood in astonishment, their jaws dropped low. Then an unexpected voice came from the crowd, "I say yes." A small girl, no older than twelve emerged from the crowd, her long brown hair hanging elegantly at her shoulders.

A rendering smile formed its way across my face, "Good." Peering into her eyes for a brief moment allowed me to obtain the girl's name, but still bare my grip on reality. "Julie, you are a clever girl, perhaps you wish to show your peers what it is that I offer them."

Julie nodded, her small head bouncing uncontrollably before she turned to face her lieutenant. "She's right, Zoe. I remember twenty years ago when I joined the hunt it was because of my father. Her came at me and I ran; I prayed to my mother for help, but Athena never answered my cries," she rounded on the others. "I thought that if I joined Artemis then Athena may guide me, answer my prayers, come to me in dreams, but she didn't.

"Now here we are being offered sanctuary. We no longer have to follow Artemis in naive hope that the gods will save us, because they won't. We are nothing to them. Nothing. Don't you guys get that? This is the only way." She stopped, breathing hard.

Then the dark girl stepped forwards, "Julie…" Her voice was small and weary.

"Come on, Halla," gripping the other girl's hand she pulled her towards me and my smile grew.

However, the remaining hunters were not as quick to drop their arrows. Their bows drawn, the girls exchanged hesitant looks.

"Julie," Zoe spoke in a harsh tone. "Do not listen to her. She is lying, thy mother loves thee."

"_I_ am not the one lying, Zoe," I laughed, "You are. You fill these girls heads with false hope of a perfect world. There is no such thing as any world being perfect, especially with the Olympians in power," I turned back to the hunters. "Come with me, it will all be okay."

A few more hunters stepped forwards and I picked up Bluefire from the dirt. A chorus of bows tightening followed it.

"Back away from the Titan, hunters," Zoe ordered the small group that had formed in the centre of the circle.

No one moved. I swayed Bluefire threateningly at the archers.

"Give up Zoe, you will never defeat me. It seems your hunters have made up their minds. Now lower your weapons and no one will get hurt."

Zoe let out a cold laugh, "It is thee that will die today, Titan. Archers!" She raised her hand to signal them to draw their bows and as she dropped it a volley of arrows was sent flying at me.

"Get down!" I shouted in hopes of saving those of which I had persuaded, while I threw myself down on my stomach. I hear the arrows whiz past me and either hit the ground or fly far off in the empty camp. The devastating sound of a body hitting the dirt reached my ears. I saw the small form of the girl, Julie, fall meters away, a silver arrow piercing her small chest. At least two others had suffered wounds from the volley of silver arrows, and the others coward back into formation with sobbing apologies. There was only one who remained, the dark girl, Halla looked at me pleadingly.

"Are you with me?" I whispered.

She nodded shakily.

"Alright. On my count. One," I gripped Bluefire tightly. "Two," I placed my hands ready for an easy lift. "Three!" Halla and I jumped to our feet as another volley soared our way. Halla dodged them easily and sent her own retaliating arrows. Hunters fell to the ground all around me.

The remaining hunter continued to fire, but as their arrows soared through the air I sliced them with my blade as to stop them in their course. As the ends broke off the arrows changed course and embedded themselves in the hunters. They fell to the ground injured, but not dead.

Halla continued to fire at the remaining four. I drew close to a tall girl with the mischievous features of Hermes. She threw a hand into her quiver to retrieve another arrow, but it was empty. With a single slice of my blade her head fell to the ground in a bloody bath. Hunters screamed from their places on the ground, but they didn't move due to their injuries.

Footsteps drew close behind me. I turned to view a freckled girl with dirty blond hair and a bright aura about her. As I looked into her blue eyes I was reminded of Alexander; his strength and will power, and love. The longer I stared at her the more I began to envision Alex standing there, my sword raised to strike at him. "Alex…" But the vision had faded, I was not facing Alex, I was facing a ruthless hunter that would kill if given the chance. Alex was dead, and he wasn't coming back.

With a flourish of Bluefire the daughter of Apollo fell to the ground, her stomach bleeding copiously.

"No!" Zoe's scream pierced my ears like lightning. I turned just in time to see the lieutenant pull back her bow and fire a grand silver arrow directly at my heart.

I braced myself for the impact of the arrow on my flesh, but it never came for Halla had jumped in the path of the arrow. It pierced her dark flesh with ease until the tip was visible protruding from her back. My jaw dropped, she fell to the ground, struggling to breath. Her hand shot towards the wound, quickly coated with a thick layer of blood.

I didn't go to aid her, I didn't try to save her life or help her as she took her last breath, lying helplessly on her back in the camp she knew to be home. There was nothing I could do for her, but fight.

Focusing my attention on the lieutenant I froze time on her so that her arm was frozen in a tight grip on her bow, facing the ground after her last shot. Her jaw hung open in the shock of killing her own hunter, but she didn't move, she couldn't.

Stepping close to her I whispered in her ear, "Is this was you wanted, Zoe? Four dead, and the rest wounded? Oh wait, make that five, including yourself," I lifted my sword, preparing to stab it into her abdomen, but was halted by the sharp pain of an arrow in the flesh between my shoulder blades. I screamed in agony.

"No, Rebecca. Six including you and your companion."

Painfully, I spun to see the goddess, Artemis, standing with her bow drawn, ready for another shot. "You…" But that was all I could manage, for my back seared with pain. This was it, Jane was dead, next would be me. Behind Artemis stood at least a dozen more hunters, with their bows drawn.

My head spinning, and my vision fading, I gripped the necklace that my father had given me firmly. It could not travel through both time and space, but space was all I needed. I focused my attention on base camp, my men training to fight this war. I felt a powerful tug in my chest, not from the arrow but from the necklace. My shoulder seared with pain and in a flurry of light Artemis' camp vanished.


	16. Misgivings

**Sorry for the wait guys. I've been pretty busy lately. Anyways: chapter 16! we're nearing the end of Part 2...I know I haven't had any songs lately, so here's one for ya: _Lies_ by Billy Talent  
BTW, thanks for all the reviews guys, and I got a PM about a nomination for a fanfic award; KINDA awesome! whatever, enough of my blabbering...enjoy!  
**

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In my dreams I stood at the edge of a great chasm, overhead gleamed sharp stalactites, threatening to fall on me if I made the slightest of noises. I felt a terrifying power emitting from the depths of the abyss, which I recognized to be my father. This was the entrance to Tartarus.

Suddenly a resonating voice echoed through the chasm and rebounded within my eardrums. _You have failed me, daughter._

My tattoo began burned to the point that I fell to my knees in anguish. "I'm s-sorry father," I screamed through the pain. "I t-tried…but A-artemis was t-too powerful, she kn-knew I was c-coming."

_You are a DISCRASE!_

"Father please…f-forgive me. I-I can try again…p-please…. Just give m-me another chance," my breathing turned into shaky gasps as I struggled to inhale the humid Underworld air, and then the pain was gone. The chasm was filled with the coarse laugh of my father. The dreadful ruckus filled my ears with multitudes of horrific sounds; fingers scratching a chalkboard, Styrofoam breaking in two, the wail of an old woman…

_You have had enough chances! It is time that I place my tasks into more worthy hands._

Taken aback, I rose from my resting place on the ground and almost fell into the abyss. "Father…?"

_Don't call me that! You are unworthy of referring to me in such casual terms. I am your Lord and your King._

"I am your _daughter_," my voice was small and unsure.

_You are my Watcher. You **first** disobey me by taking that **insolent** daughter of Aphrodite with you, and **then** you fail to recruit any._

"I defeated half the hunters," I retorted, my body temperature rising.

_And yet somehow did not defeat Atlas' daughter._

"That was not my task, father."

_No, yet it seems you were not even capable to do **that**. I was wrong to place my trust in you. From now on you are to stay at base camp where you can do no more damage. You are to train the new recruits without question._

"But-father…who do you trust enough to take over my duties? Who is trustworthy enough and powerful enough to rebuild your fortress atop Mount Othrys other than me?"

Again a cold laugh echoed throughout the chasm, stalactites began to fall from the ceiling. I had to lunge out of the way to ensure that I would not be crushed to death. _Isn't it obvious, Rebecca?_ His laugh consumed the air until all I could hear was the wrenching scream of a woman. It was not until much later that I would realize what she was shouting: my name.

I awoke to a sharp pain in-between my shoulder blades. I was lying in the infirmary at base camp, a scrawny boy, no older than fifteen hovered over me, injecting a vile of clear liquid into an IV in my arm. I tried to shake him away; I tried to sit up but was faced with excruciating pain in my chest where Artemis' arrow had pierced through my armor.

"Shh-shh," the boy soothed me back into a comfortable position. "You must rest, Captain."

I screwed my eyes shut as he wrapped fresh gauze around my wound. "Wh-what happened?" I winced.

His eyes, so similar to Alex's, focused in on mine in shock as if he had never heard someone ask him that question before. "Y-you…"

"Go on…" I urged him.

"You just k-kind of…a-appeared, ma'am…in the centre of camp w-with an a-arrow in your back…" He had taken a few steps back from my bedside out of fright.

"And..?" It was then that I realized just how tired I was. It felt like I had run a marathon and then been pushed underwater and forced to hold my breath for an extended period of time. Kronos had warned me that using the necklace would drain me; it would suck the energy from me and feed off of me. It was only now that I realized just what his words meant.

A wave of fatigue passed over me and I found myself sinking once again into a dream world. The tent vanished and was replaced with the familiar sight of the deck of the Princess Andromeda.

Mere meters away I caught sight of a face that brightened my heart; Luke strutted towards me, onto the deck of the cruise ship, his face gleaming with pride. I crooked my neck to pier over his broad shoulder and saw Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and the cyclops that had been with Percy and Annabeth a few days prior on that same ship. They were being ushered by Agrius and Oreius roughly onto the ship with defeated looks on their faces; I couldn't help but suppress a small smile at the sight of the captured heroes.

The twins threw their captives on the aft of the deck near the swimming pool, and it was then that I noticed just how many men Luke had with him. At least a dozen monsters and demigods had gathered around him, armed with thick armor and gleaming weapons, I couldn't help but wish I was there to help him.

Finally, Luke spoke calmly, "And so, the Fleece. Where is it?" He began to prod at Percy and Grover in hopes of forcing them to reveal something.

"Hey," Grover protested, "That's real goat fur under there!"

"Sorry old friend," although I could tell Luke wasn't the least bit apologetic. "Just give me the Fleece and I'll let you return to your, ah, little nature quest."

"Blaa-ha-ha!" Grover bleated annoyingly. "Some old friend!"

"Maybe you didn't hear me," Luke's voice was defiant but calm, a trick he had picked up from me. "Where-is-the-Fleece?"

"Not here," Percy said. "We sent it on ahead of us. You messed up." His tone made me want to lunge at him, throttle him with my bare hands, but my dream-self was paralyzed and unable to help Luke in any ways.

"You're lying," said Luke. "You couldn't have…Clarisse?"

Percy nodded slyly.

"You trusted…you gave…" I couldn't help but share Luke's amazement. We had never thought of Clarisse, the thought that Percy would _trust _her was inconceivable.

"Yeah," Percy snided.

"Agrius!" Luke roared, his face burning hot with rage.

"Y-yes?" The furry creature stuttered.

"Get below and prepare my steed. Bring it to the deck, I need to fly to Miami Airport, fast!"

"But, boss," he argued.

"Do it! Or I'll feed you to the drakon!" I let out a small giggle at Luke's threat, but he didn't hear me, no one did.

"You've been toying with us all along. You wanted us to bring the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it," Percy went on.

"Of course, you idiot!" Luke's voice grew louder. "And you've messed everything up!"

"Traitor!" Suddenly Percy threw a golden drachma at Luke, who easily dodged it. The coin sailed past Luke and into the fountain where the water formed a small rainbow. "You tricked all of us!" Percy continued, "Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!" He drew his sword, drawing the attention of everyone onboard, except for me. Luke was too busy to notice that Percy was tricking him; the sword was just a distraction so that Luke wouldn't notice the glimmering form of Mr. D sitting in the dining pavilion at Camp Half-Blood, watching the scene intently.

"This is no time for heroics, Percy," Luke mused. "Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later."

"Luke!" I attempted to draw Luke's attention to the Iris message behind him. If he said the wrong thing then he could ruin _everything_. Mr. D would find out that Chiron was innocent and then he would return to the camp. I couldn't let that happen; with Chiron out of the picture he would eventually fade because he would no longer be needed. He would be gone, and Camp Half-Blood would be helpless. "Luke, look behind you!"

"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?" Percy questioned cleverly.

"No, Luke…Luke, DON'T-"

"I did, of course."

"No…" I sighed, but he went on.

"I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus."

"Don't do that…don't give them any more…" But it was hopeless. I was dreaming, I was lying in a bed at base camp, an arrow wound healing, and Luke was miles away in Miami, and he could not hear me.

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?" Mr. D's gaze grew more intent with Percy's question.

"Ha! You know he would never do that. That old fool wouldn't have the guts," Luke admitted.

"You call it guts?" Percy spat. "Betraying your friends? Endangering the whole camp?"

Luke drew Backbiter defensively, the metal combination glowing threateningly. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece…once I was done with it."

That took me aback. What did he mean? Neither Luke nor my father had spoken about giving the Fleece _back._ What was he playing at? We were to use to Fleece to speed up the process of Kronos' rise. Why would we give it back?

It seemed Percy was wondering the same thing; his sea-green eyes had a perplexed glare in them, but he went on. "You were going to heal Kronos."

"Yes!" He made his isn't-it-obvious face. "The Fleece's magic would've sped his mending process by tenfold. But you haven't stopped us, Percy. You've only slowed us down a little." This was true, but still, why had he mentioned giving it _back_?

"And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up-all to help Kronos destroy the gods."

"You know that! Why do you keep asking me?" It seemed that Luke was finally starting to realize his mistake.

"I tried Luke…I really did…"

But it was Percy that Luke heard, "Because I want everybody in the audience to hear you."

_"What_ audience?" Luke spat.

Percy merely pointed to the Iris message. Luke spun briskly on his heal and his blue eyes widened as he laid them upon his former camp director.

Dionysus then said something that I couldn't make out causing Luke to slash at the image. It flickered and faded.

"Kronos was right, Percy. You're an unreliable weapon," Luke snided, "You need to be replaced. You'll never leave this boat alive."

The Princess Andromeda began to fade.

"No!" I shouted, and managed to catch Percy's gaze. I was sucked into his future, but it was not good. "Luke, no! Watch out! Luke! LUKE!"

But the Princess Andromeda was gone and I was once again at my camp, the son of Apollo holding a jug of nectar up to my lips. I took a sip and my mouth exploded with the flavor of Sarah's homemade spaghetti; the sauce perfectly spiced. I don't even know how I remembered the taste, but it was divine.

For that brief moment all my thoughts rested on that taste; the drink that gradually healed my gruesome wound. All else vanished from my mind, including thoughts of Luke, Kronos, Percy, Alex…And what secrets my father and Luke were keeping from me.


	17. Drowning in You

**Don't have much to say `bout this one. Truly, I planned to have it be about something COMPLETELY different...or at least, get farther...whatever. Here we are. SONG: _Going Under_ by Evanescence  
Anyways, enjoy!  
**

* * *

This was all wrong. Nothing was going as it should. Luke and I were to never keep secrets from each other, yet my father still managed to convince him otherwise. We were supposed to have the Fleece; my father should be much closer to rising than he was. I was supposed to be out in the field, not waiting around for something to do. I was sick of dealing with these monsters that wanted to eat all of my demigod recruits, and deciding what punishments to give to enemy scouts. What was I to do with these helpless young souls, merely following orders? I found myself falling deeper into a pit of my own despair, a grave that I had dug deeper and deeper with every treacherous act for my father and against Camp Half-Blood. I spent my days wandering the camp of monsters, demigods, and mortals, boasting orders when necessary and raising a fist whenever challenged. My nights were spent alone in the command tent, praying for Luke's safe return, once in awhile I would feel a sharp pain in my shoulder which I knew to be my father trying to penetrate my thoughts, but I fought against him, and he did not like that.

It was on one of these lonely summers nights that I did not dare sleep for fear of Kronos penetrating my dreams that I arose from my bed and fished out a small golden drachma from my bedside table and slipped out of my tent into the cool night. I made my way silently across the sleeping camp towards a small creek with a small waterfall leading into it. The moonlight reflected romantically across the water's surface as to create a small but precise rainbow.

"Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering," I whispered and sent the drachma plunging into the water's surface where it disappeared. "Show me Luke Castellan, aboard the Princess Andromeda." Now, you would think that the goddess wouldn't dare accept the offering of the daughter of the Titan Lord, but the truth is she is so full of herself that she does not pay attention as to who it is worshipping her; she will accept any offering as a token of her vanity.

In the moonlight an image began to form before my eyes. Luke lay on the coach in the stateroom of the Princess Andromeda. His short hair was disastrous and looked like he hadn't washed it in days. His scar, stretching from his left eye to his cheekbone was an immense shade of deep red and looked almost fresh. He seemed to have aged since I last saw him in my dream, but it was still Luke, the same person who had rescued me about this time last year. His lanky body stretched awkwardly over the sofa and his legs hung off the messy coffee table.

"Luke," I whispered, trying to wake him up. He barely stirred. "Luke," I said a little louder. "Wake up!"

He bounded awake, "W-what?" Heavy bags beneath pronounced his light blue eyes, then he turned to me. I noticed that his hair was not the same revitalizing blonde that it once was; it seemed to be graying at his early age of 20. "R-Rebecca?" He rubbed his eyes, but that did not vanish the dark circles.

"Hey, Luke," I forced a smile.

"What's the matter? It's the middle of the night," he pulled himself into a sitting position and stared intently into my golden eyes.

"I-I just needed to talk to you. I haven't heard from you in _weeks_," I pleaded.

His face slacked into a look of apology. "Rebecca…I've meant to contact you. I wanted to speak with you, but-"

"But what?" I asked, boldly. "But Kronos forced you not to?"

He held up a hand to calm me, "Be careful with your names Rebecca."

"I'm not afraid of the name, Luke. I'm not afraid of Kronos."

"You should be."

"Why? Because you are? Because you'll obey his every word without so much as a thought about what it might do to me?"

"He is the Titan _Lord, _Rebecca. He is my master, now."

"'_Master'?_ Is that what you're calling it now? He's using you Luke. He's using you so that _he_ can get stronger."

"I know that!" He shouted. "Don't you get it, Rebecca? I thought that's what you wanted; to help your father regain control."

I sighed, "That _was _what I wanted, but-"

"But what?" He seemed annoyed at my misgivings. "He's your _father _Rebecca."

This was getting too far off-topic, "What are you hiding from me Luke?"

He shook his head, "What?"

"I saw you, Luke. When you found Percy and them in Miami. You said that you were going to give the camp the Fleece later, why?"

He sighed and suddenly wouldn't meet my eyes, "Rebecca, I wanted to tell you-"

"What's so special about that tree, Luke? You were hesitant towards poisoning it, why?" I waited for an answer, but it did not come, he wound not meet my gaze. "Luke, TELL ME!"

"THALIA!"

This answer took me by surprise. I had heard the name once before, when Alex, Luke and I were escaping Camp Half-Blood Alex had accused Luke of murdering her. "What?"

"Thalia," he repeated. "Seven years ago Annabeth, Grover, Thalia and I were running from monsters. I had met Thalia on the road and we soon came across Annabeth, she was only seven. Grover found us and tried to bring us to camp, but…When we reached the hill we were swarmed. There were too many monsters…we wouldn't have made it. So Thalia…" Tears began to form in his eyes. "She sacrificed herself to save us. While we ran to safety she fought them off, but…she didn't make it. I guess when she was dying Zeus took pity on her and turned her into that tree…"

"But why would Zeus do that? He hates mortals."

"Because…because Thalia was his daughter," he explained.

A wave of understanding flooded over me. "The Fleece. It will revitalize the tree and heal her, won't it?"

Luke nodded, "With her back in the picture there is a possibility that the prophecy isn't about Percy."

I knew about this prophecy. It was a tragic prediction of the oracle that ensured that the next child of the Big Three to reach the age of sixteen would make a decision to either save or destroy Olympus. If we could get that child on our side then we could ensure that they would make the right choice. I was about to ask Luke more but then the image began to falter. "Luke-"

"I know. Listen, I'll come back to camp. We'll contact Selena and ensure that Thalia returns to camp."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of the spy that Luke had created within the camp; she was a mere daughter of Aphrodite, nothing special.

"She'll help us more than you can imagine, Rebecca."

"Sure," I mused. "I'll look for you within the week."

He nodded and the image disappeared. The only sound was the gradual running of the water into the stream. Slowly, I made my way back to my tent and fell into a dreamless sleep.

It turned out that Luke was a lot closer than I thought he was, for he arrived at camp merely four days after I spoke with him. Was I happy to see him? You could say that, but I couldn't help have that sharp pain in my chest like he had betrayed me and tricked me. I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was…or did I? There were only two short times in my life when I was truly happy. The first time was when I was merely six years old, so I barely remembered it. The second time was those months, from when I left Camp Half-Blood to the day Alex died. The rest was just a blur of depressing memories inspiring hate and sadness. But I found that whenever Luke was around my life became that much easier, the sadness was that much easier to handle and I felt that I would somehow find a way to make it through, no matter what it took.

It was midday, mid-august when a rather frazzled-looking demigod ushered me from my command tent. "M-miss…h-he's here…h-he s-sent me…to…to get you…" He panted.

My expression did not change, my lips refused to stretch to reveal the joy that my heart felt as the boy lead me across the empty camp to where everyone had gathered to greet Luke and his recruits.

At first all I saw was a mob of demigods, monsters, and mortals, who I had convinced to join our cause, gathered around the entrance. The entrance to the camp was only possible to find if you knew where to look, as it was situated in a barren landscape engrossed by multitudes of rolling pasture hills. There was a single road, which passed through the fields and resided on the other side of the largest hill surrounding the camp.

Mercilessly I pushed my way through the tight crowd and made my way to the returning group. At first all I saw was the back of his blonde head, his clothes were worn and his sword, Backbiter was strapped to his side. It was his demigod recruits who first noticed me; they froze in their tracks and stared with horror-stricken faces at me. Beside me a manticore stood with his one blue and one green eye staring at me. It was at his greet of "Good morning, Captain," that the recruits dropped to a single knee and lowered their heads. Noticing their odd behavior, Luke turned to me and the dark circles vanished from beneath his eyes. His scar crinkled as his face stretched into a wide smile and I couldn't help but match it.

Forgetting his men Luke strode towards me purposefully, gripped my head between his strong hands and let his lips fall into the most tender kiss. I felt my heart do a back flip as I pulled him closer and returned the embrace. For a moment all that existed was Luke and I. The camp had vanished; all thoughts of the future and past vanished. Only the present existed. We only pulled away when the vulgar sound of a throat being cleared hit my eardrums and the moment passed.

Luke coughed awkwardly, "Well…it's good to see you."

"Yeah…" I uneasily rubbed the back of my neck, "You too."

Luke caught my gaze again and smiled. I returned the gesture but then forced my face back into a stern appearance.

"Thorn," I ordered the manticore. "Make sure our new recruits are shown their sleeping quarters."

"Me? But what about-"

"If you want _any_ power around here, you _will_ do as I tell you." Thorn had given me quite a bit of heartache, constantly asking me for a promotion; a command of his own. I merely told him that if he was a good little manticore then I would…think about it. Although the truth was that I really couldn't decide who would be a commander and who wouldn't, for my father had stripped me of even _my_ title. Although they still called me 'captain' I really had little more authority than Thorn, but he didn't know that.

"Yes ma'am," he slumped off towards the new recruits and Luke and I made our way back to our tent in hopes of some privacy.

As soon as we had both stepped inside the tent I closed the flaps behind us, although I knew that wouldn't keep away any eavesdroppers very effectively. As soon as I turned around Luke was right behind me, gripping my waist romantically, "I missed you," he said.

"Yeah…I missed you too," I admitted, though that was not was I wanted to talk about. Rolling my eyes I pushed his hands away and made my way over to my bedside table.

"What?" He asked defensively. "Still mad at me?"

I scowled at the drawer, not wanted to turn and face him. "Truthfully?"

"Yeah truthfully?" He urged on.

"Yes!" I shoved a golden drachma into the pocket of my khaki shorts and turned to him. "You…" I rattled my brain for the right words, "You've been lying to me, Luke."

"Look, _Rebecca," _He spoke my name as if it was some sort of disease. "I may be a lot of things, but a liar is not one of them."

"Oh, not at all," I mused. "You've been planning things with Kronos. You've been keeping _crucial_ information from me. Don't you _dare_ act like that's not true."

"I've been _keeping _things from you for your own good."

"So it's 'for my own good' that I stay here with this lot of monsters? It's 'for my own good' that I can't sleep at night `cause my father is constantly sending me nightmares, making my shoulder _burn?_ How can you say that, Luke? I thought you actually cared about me." I began to breath heavy; my heart was going a mile per minute. I had to force myself not to freeze time.

"I _do _care, Rebecca. That's why I didn't tell you-"

"Tell me what?" I cut in. "Tell me that my father has plans for you. That you-"

"_How_ do you know about that? Lord Kronos only told _me._ Why would he-"

I couldn't understand what was so perplexing about this to Luke. Of course Kronos would tell me that someone else was taking over my duties. It was obviously Luke that he was talking about. "Why wouldn't he tell me, Luke? I'm his _daughter_."

"Yeah, I know that!" He shook his head vigorously trying to comprehend the idea. "But…the dip in the river…I hadn't even _decided _yet…"

Now it was my turn to be confused. "Excuse me?"

"I hadn't said whether I would do it or not," he seemed to be retreating deep into a cocoon of thought as he sat down on the bed, head in his hands.

"Huh? Do what?"

"Go in the river, of course," he shrugged.

I screwed my eyes shut, trying to comprehend his words. "What...What river? Do what? Luke, what are you _talking _about?" I had a feeling that I knew exactly what he was talking about; I just didn't want to believe it.

He looked up at me in confusion. "What? You don't…I thought you knew!"

I shook my head.

He closed his eyes and fell back onto the bed in denial.

"Luke, don't tell me you're doing what I think you're doing," I pleaded.

He laughed, "And what do you think I'm doing, Rebecca?"

"Going in the River Styx…"

He laughed again. "That's what I'm suppose to think about, at least."

"And have you decided?" I fought back a nagging tear at the corner of my golden eyes.

He sat up and let his head droop to stare at the floor for a moment. Finally he said, "Yeah…yeah, I guess I have." And as he raised his head it only took a single look into his eyes to see what that decision was.


	18. Love and Other Drugs

**Sorry this one's kinda short. This is the last of Part 2, so the next one will take place in 'The Titan's Curse' time.  
SONG: _Where Does the Good Go?_ by Tegan and Sara (not the best suiting song, but i love the artist anyways. so take a gander)  
SOOO, here y'all go; chapter 18 (again, srry it's not that long...)  
**

* * *

I couldn't believe it. My father _dared _to ask Luke to bathe in the River Styx. I was dumbfounded; what else were they keeping from me, why did Kronos ask this of Luke, how would this help him return to power? It was everything to merely say two words, "But...why?"

His eyes melted from their regular-humorous glare into a reassuring gaze. "I wish I could tell you, Rebecca. I really do, but your father..."

"Fine then," my jaw clenched. "Don't tell me. Listen to my father and leave me hanging. As always." I crossed my arms in a tight embrace.

"Rebecca," he rose and reached his hand out to pat me on the shoulder but I swung out of his reach and stormed out of the tent. "Where are you going?" I heard him shout from within the large tent.

Reluctantly, I paced back so I would be within earshot. "To talk to Selena. You'd better come with."

And so Luke and I walked in silence towards the stream. I could tell that he wanted to talk; to try to explain his choice to me, but I wouldn't let him. I kept my pace seconds faster than his so he walked behind me. With every step my pulse threatened to rise. I kept my hands deep in my pocket, threading the drachma throughout my fingers. I could feel my ADHD kicking in, so I tried to calm it with long breaths but it was no use. I remembered at one of my schools my guidance counselor had told be to recite a pattern in my mind to calm my nerves. The Fibonacci sequence was my favourite, but even that didn't help with the anger that was bubbling inside of me.

When we reached the stream I pulled the drachma out of my pocket and without a word launched it into the small waterfall. "Goddess, except my offering. Show me Silena Beauregard at Camp Half-Blood."

I felt Luke's cold gaze on me but didn't dare meet it. It was more important to speak with Silena then to argue with Luke about his future plans.

In a shimmer of light the daughter of Aphrodite appeared before them. She had long, black hair curled perfectly around her flawless face. Her eyes were an enchanting blue framed with just the right amount of mascara and eyeliner. Currently, she was tending to a Pegasus in the stables of Camp Half-Blood, but luckily, she was alone.

"Silena," I spoke quietly but firmly to get her attention.

"W-what?" She jumped at the sound of my voice and almost threw the hairbrush, which she had been brushing the steed with, into a pile of manure. "R-rebecca…Luke…" Her penetrating eyes shot hastily between the two of us. "I-I didn't except…I mean…I was going to-to contact you, but…"

"Shh-shh," Luke soothed her, stepping closer to me so that Silena could better view him. "It's alright. We just want to talk."

The girl was easily charmed by Luke's good looks and allure (truly I didn't blame her) and would tell us anything that we needed to know. I didn't like the thought of relying on a mere daughter of the love goddess for information, but Luke trusted her, and that was good enough for me.

"Tell me, Silena," I tried to make my voice semi-soothing, but after ordering around monsters all day it's a difficult task. "The Fleece; did it work?"

"The Fleece? Yeah-I mean-yes, it worked. The camp's defensive boundaries are back."

"Great," I said sarcastically.

"Don't worry about it," Luke told me quietly, "We'll figure something out." He turned back to Silena and said a bit louder, "Anything else?"

Silena looked hesitant to answer. She kept flicking her long black burls out of her face and her eyes were fixed on the Pegasus' mane.

"Silena," I urged her to answer.

"Well," she began, "It happened just yesterday morning," twirling her hair nervously she continued. "I don't know how it happened, but Annabeth was on watch and she just appeared there. Of course I didn't recognize her, because I wasn't there when it happened, but…" I rose an eyebrow in annoyance at her stuttering. "Thalia," she sighed. "She was just sitting there, like the years never passed."

I couldn't help but notice Luke's angered face taking on a lighter expression as if the news of this girl's return was the best thing in the world.

"Wonderful," Luke said. "Thank you, Silena."

I rolled my eyes, "Anything else?"

"Well, no…but…I can't help but wonder…"

"What is it girl?" Eager to get off the topic of Luke's old friend I rushed my words.

"Did you know…that she was going to come back?"

"Yeah," sighed Luke dreamily. His eyes seemed to have returned to their same revitalizing blue. "Yeah, I knew all along."

I shook my head at his stupidity. "Send word if anything else happens. Keep a close eye on this girl, she may just be the last piece to this puzzle."

"Yes, of course."

With that I swept a hand through the Iris-message and the Camp Half-Blood stables vanished. Turning to Luke I realized he was still in a bit of a dream-state.

"Luke," I snapped my fingers in his face.

He shook his head, sending his short blond locks out of place, before he focused his blue eyes on me. The smile that had formed across his jawbones vanished when he looked at me and I couldn't help but feel unwanted. Who was this girl to him? So what if they trekked across the country together, fighting off monsters? That was almost seven years ago; he was only fourteen. Now he was twenty, surely those childhood romances would have been forgotten, especially after he met me. Him and I had escaped Camp Half-Blood together, we recruited countless men for the Titan army and yet he still had feelings for this Thalia girl. It hadn't been such a big deal when she was dead, but now she was back and so were Luke's feelings for her. I didn't care if she was possibly the child of the Great Prophecy, once we were done with her I would kill her myself.


	19. Life of a Demigod

**Part 3: The Titan's Curse**

Grimy red sand surrounded the dark littered waters of the River Styx. There was no sunlight reflecting on the water's surface as the only light in the mystic Underworld shone faintly off the red ceiling, tinting everything the shade of blood. A small worn path ran the length of the river and led the dead towards a large booth, like the ones you would find at the entrance of an amusement park. There was one line that seemed to be progressing quite quickly, while the other two drawled on and merely grew longer by the second. Ratty signs hung over the lines but from my perch by the River I couldn't make them out, of course my dyslexia didn't help with that.

I had been reluctant to come down here in the first place, being the daughter of Kronos it isn't the smartest idea to enter into Hades' domain, but there I was. My father wanted Luke to bathe in the River Styx and I couldn't very well let him go alone.

"You're friend is foolish," Achilles spoke from behind me. He had appeared just as Luke was preparing to take the plunge, warning him not to do it, but Luke wasn't soon to back out of a direct order from the Titan Lord.

"You may think so, but you don't know the half of it," I said, allowing handfuls of sand to pass gracefully between my fingers.

"No," he admitted, "Perhaps that is true, but he is foolish none the less."

"Just because you are such a coward doesn't mean he is," I told him through clenched teeth.

"Coward, am I?"

"Yeah, you are. And not to mention an idiot."

My retort took the dead hero aback. "Pardon me?"

"You heard me. You call him a fool, but really _you're_ the fool. You friggin` chose your _heel_ as your vulnerable spot, and you wore _sandals_. Luke is _much_ smarter than that. He understands the limits of armor."

"Who are _you_ to say such things to _me_?" I could feel his cold gaze on the back of my head.

I stood up and turned to look Achilles in the face. "_I _am Kronos' daughter, _Achilles._" A warm breeze passed over me from far off in the Underworld, most likely from Tartarus. I could feel my hair splaying out to form a frame about my face.

Achilles' eyes widened and without another word he disappeared leaving me staring at the progression of dead souls at the gates of hell.

I hated dealing with these ancient souls, they always thought they were so wise and that all us demigods should look up to them and obey their every word. A few months ago I had been scouring the wilderness for recruits when a rather uncanny limousine greeted me. It had come to a stop next to me and out-climbed a large man dressed like a biker with wrap-around shades and a buzz cut. I knew him to be one person, "Ares," I said distastefully.

He looked me up and down as if debating whether or not I was worthy fighting. "And I guess you're Kronos' kid."

I raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Uh-huh. So what are you waiting for? I thought you loved fights."

"Psh," he scoffed, "You ain't worth my time of day."

"Oh, then would you rather I speed it up and make it night?" I mused.

I glared at me as if wondering if I could actually do that, but shook the thought away just as fast. "Trust me, kid, if you weren't suppose to make the next war loads of fun I'd kill you right now."

"Uh-huh. I pretend _that's_ true. Anything else?" I rested my hand gently on Bluefire.

"Just get in the car, girly. You're driving my patience."

"Am I?" I asked, but I made no move to go in the limo.

"Just get in." With a single rough shove I was sitting the back seat of the limousine across from the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. Her hair fell in long blonde curls around her perfect face. Her eyes shone a resilient blue that reminded me suspiciously of Luke's. She wore a long flowing white gown and gold heals to match her hair.

_Just my luck,_ I thought. "What do you want, Aphrodite?"

She smiled, her teeth gleaming in the light, burning my retinas. "Isn't it obvious child?"

Staring at her grudgingly I guessed, "Come to hate on my style?"

The limousine was filled with her perfect laugh; it made me sick. "Of course not, Rebecca. I believe that you have heard about the return of Zeus' daughter."

I didn't dare meet her gaze.

"And I know of your feelings for one of Hermes' sons," she stated.

"So what?" I jutted my chin angrily. They say that it's Ares who makes half-bloods feel angry and reckless, but in my case it was most certainly Aphrodite.

"My dear," she went to place a hand on my knee but I moved away. "Love triangles are my specialty. I take pride in the heartaches of demigods. Did you really think that just because you are the child of a Titan I would treat you any different?"

"Yes," I said scornfully.

She smiled, "Of course I wouldn't. Don't you worry about a thing, dear, I'll make this _very _fun indeed."

I couldn't believe this; this lady was telling me that she was going to make my fight for Luke _'fun.'_ Not _easy_ or _promising_ but _fun._ Why is it that all gods thought that just because they were powerful they could make my life a living hell?

Now she seemed to almost be talking to herself, "But seeing as Poseidon's son has the happy-ending I may just make your's…Yes, I think that will make for great fun!"

"Excuse me?" I could feel the anger bubbling inside me. "You have no right to ruin my life just because it'll be 'fun' for you, you bitch!"

"Now, now. You shouldn't get angry, Rebecca. It's not a very attractive trait in a woman."

"I don't CARE!" I shouted. "You can mess up all the Olympian's kid's lives if you want. Just, stay the _Hades_ away from me!"

I pushed the door open with all my might only to find it stopped halfway due to Ares' big bulk standing in the way.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" He shouted as I crawled out of the car and ran far away from the pair of gods and back into the woods where I made way for the harbor to meet Luke.

Staring out at the River Styx I tried to see through the waters in attempt to find Luke, but I couldn't see him. The momentary ripples that had been caused when he entered had long disappeared. The water was still and murky, my skin grew warm and clammy in the heat of the Underworld.

"Come on Luke," I breathed wearily, "Hurry it up." What was it that Achilles had told Luke before he entered the river…_Keep a hold on what matters to you in life._ What had he meant by that?

(Luke's POV)

As soon as I entered the River I was greeted with a sharp pain like being stabbed by a thousand swords over and over again all over my body, and as I submerged my whole it felt as if I was being torn into a thousand tiny pieces. I wanted to give up, what was I thinking? I couldn't do this, but then I heard Achilles' voice echoing in my head, _Keep a hold on what matters to you in life. It may be the only anchor you have down there._ And so I rattled my brain for something to work as a leeway to get through this torment. I thought of Rebecca; her smiling face and that gorgeous red hair. I thought of the first day we met on Half-Blood Hill right by Thalia's tree. Then my mind skipped back years ago when Thalia and I had scoured the country together, fighting monsters. Now she was back; alive and well again and I hadn't yet seen her. I let these memories notch themselves together until they formed a sort of string. I let the string attach itself to a spot just below my armpit; it was a spot that was well covered when I wore armor and would not easily be hit. The string began to stretch itself up and out of the waters. I tried to swim along side it, but the pain of the River was too great, I would never make it.

But then the most curious thing happened, a small raft floated atop the murky waters just large enough for a few people. A slender hand reached into the waters and towards me. Through the waters I saw that the hand belonged to none other than Thalia, daughter of Zeus. She looked the exact same as she had when she told Annabeth, Grover and I to run while she held the monsters off. I grabbed hold of her hand just as another one grabbed hold of my upper arm; it was Rebecca. The girls smiled at me and then together hoisted me out of the water.

As my head broke the surface I looked around for the raft with the girls but it was gone. I was alone in the River Styx. Just as my heart began to sink deep into my chest a familiar voice came from the shore.

"Luke," Rebecca looked at me with gratifying relief. "Swim here," she called and I did.

As I got closer the River grew shallow until I found myself crawling out of the water and onto land. I collapsed in a heap beside Rebecca and breathed in a sigh of liberation.

"You did it," she assured me.

Taking a shaky breath I rose into a sitting position. "No need to be so surprised."

"Not surprised," she laughed. "Just glad that you're safe."

(Rebecca's POV)

His eyes filled with joy as he stared intently at me. I tried to keep a smile on but found it difficult due to his horrendous appearance. I had noticed the change as soon as he exited the River; his eyes were a darker shade of blue and his face was pale and clammy. The scar that stretched across his face looked fresh although I knew it to be years healed.

Sure, he had completed my father's orders, but it seemed to have cost him dearly. His body was now impenetrable except for a small place that was unknown to me.

"Come on," my voice was shaky and unsure. "Let's get out of here." I glanced around the outstretching Underworld and found a sense of trespassing pass over me.

Heaving Luke onto his feet I swung his arm over my shoulders for support.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Let me walk by myself."

"You're not fine, Luke. And anyways, I don't take orders from you."

He let out a light laugh but then his eyes went wide as he pointed to the air. "Um…"

"What is it?" But he didn't need to answer for at that moment I caught sight of the three Furies soaring towards us.

They looked like gigantic bats the size of people. Their wings were webbed and black and their pupils were terrorizing slits.

"Trespassers," they shouted in a sort of bat-like tongue. "No living beings are permitted here. Prepare to die imbeciles!"

"Any ideas?" Luke asked, his throat clogging with fear. I could tell that he was in no shape to make gateways. I wasn't even sure if that was possible in the Underworld.

Our only hope was my necklace; I looked down as the second hand made its way around the hydra's body. I didn't want to use it again, I could remember the anguish that I felt as it drained my energy, but I had not choice.

"Hold on tight," I shouted. The Furies were closing in on us, their teeth were bared and their talons outstretched for the kill. I gripped my hand tightly around the pendant. Agonizing pain soared through my body as my energy made its way to the necklace and with a flash of light the Underworld was gone.

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**Hope you liked it! R&R if ya will! thanks to those or you that have been reviewing a lot, so I'll take this opportunity to do a shout out to all of ya: THANK YOU darklilyofthevalley , haganeochibi, Chocomadsandirish, Names , yunianora , Sabrina-Princess of Mt Olympus , SketchMeCoulorfulx.x , and all you other guys! Anyways, I hope to get the next chapter done soon!**


	20. The Titans Shall Rise

**Don't have much to say, except that if you can come up with any chapter names that are better then the current ones please let me know cause I'm having difficulty with getting creative with names...so, anyhoo, ENJOY!  
**

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Demigod dreams suck! And the fact that I'm the child of a Titan doesn't make them any better; if anything it makes them worse.

I was back in the Underworld standing amidst rows of black pillars in what seemed to be the castle of Hades. Hesitantly I peered around on of the pillars and found myself in a large throne room with skeletal warrior barricading the large wooden doors. On the far end of the room I saw a large man leaning frustratingly against the throne, his back to me. All I could see of him was his dark, shortly cropped hair and the long cloak that he wore hung low to the ground. It was a deep shade of red with multitudes of screaming faces fabricated into it; souls of the damned. I was looking at Hades, god of the Underworld. In the throne next to his sat a slender woman with long flowing hair. She was in a dress decorated with faded flowers and faint vines; Persephone.

The two gods seemed to be in a heated discussion. I drew silently closer to hear their words.

"They are my _children_, Persephone, and soon enough they _will_ be discovered. I have to make sure that they are safe," Hades growled from his crouch at his throne.

"They _were_ safe. They were locked in the Lotus Hotel for _decades_ and didn't even know of the time's passing. I don't see _why_ you had to remove them from there."

"You _know _why I did!" Hades snapped as he rose to face his queen. "I cannot let Poseidon's boy be the child of the prophecy, and now that Zeus' girl is back," he shook his head in disgust. (A feeling that was mutual for he and I.) "This time it will be _my _children that save the day. Bianca only has four years until she turns sixteen."

"And Zeus' child only has a few _months._ You cannot use the prophecy for your own benefit, Hades. It never works!"

"I will _make_ it work," Hades assured her. "I had Alecto bring them to Westover Hall. Soon enough they will be discovered as half-bloods and brought to camp. It is only a matter of time."

"So you will not send them back to the hotel?"

"Never."

"Then you are more foolhardy then I thought," Persephone leaned her head against her hand in annoyance and turned away from the god of the Underworld.

The palace faded in a cloud of black smoke and the vision changed. I was standing at the edge of a familiar chasm. Deep within the dark abyss a resounding voice echoed into my ears painfully.

_Rebecca! _It was the voice of the Titan Lord of time, my father, Kronos. _It seems that for once you have done something right._

I fell to my knees, gripping my ears, but I was perplexed at his mood. "Father?"

He laughed a cold, malicious sound that would cause skyscrapers to crumble to the ground. _You succeeded in assisting that boy into the Styx._

"Y –yes…" Removing my hands from my ears I stared down into the chasm in wonder.

_But,_ the word came as a strike on the drum as one walks up the face the gallows,_ It has come to my attention that you are in need of a General._

"A General?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But Luke…he's your second in command and I–"

_Luke,_ he snided,_ has his own role to play in my plan, and you seem to have a rebellious streak stirring._

"I –I what?" _A rebellious streak,_ for a moment it seemed that he was a normal father tormenting me, but when he laughed it was not a joyful sound, but the same resounding noise of nails against chalkboard and the cry of a woman, the same woman that I always heard screaming my name. It wasn't until that moment that I wondered exactly who she was.

_You need a General, daughter, so I shall supply you with one._

"And _who_ would this _General _be?" I mused brushing my strawberry-blond locks out of my face.

_My nephew, of course._ He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,_ Atlas._

"_What?"_ I shouted, but the vision was already beginning to fade. In vain I continued to pester him. "Why him? Who will take his place supporting the sky? How will that work?"

_All in good time, my child, all in good time._

I awoke in a cold sweat, my heart racing and my mind a mess with thoughts and worries. I found myself lying in a large bed doused with pillows and covers. Next to the bed was a large table coated with papers, amongst all of them stood a blue plastic cup filled with thick liquid. I leaned over to grip it only to discover that my head was throbbing. Shocked, I fell back onto the pillow and grimaced, "Ow." My hands shot to my head, but I found that they were just as sore; my whole body ached and I had to fight to keep my eyes open.

In the far corner a young man stirred. He sat in a sofa chair, his head lolling at his chest, his short blond hair waved as the room shook. _Wait, _I thought, _why is the room shaking?_ Although it wasn't quite a shake, it was more like it was bobbing up and down. With a jolt I realized that I was in a suit aboard the Princess Andromeda and the man in the corner was, "Luke." My voice was shrill and came out as a hoarse cough. "Luke," I said a little louder.

He jerked awake, shaking the sleep from his eyes he looked up at me. He looked a lot better than he had at the River; his skin was less clammy and his eyes not as faded, but his scar still looked gruesome and he seemed tired. I heard my father's words echoing in my mind, _Luke has his own role to play in my plan._ What had he meant by that? I had a feeling that Luke knew exactly what role he would play; he just hadn't told me.

Slowly, he made his way over to my bed and stared down at my weak form, "Hey," he smiled.

"Hey," I managed a weak smile, "We did it."

"Yeah," he agreed, "We did."

"H–how do you feel?"

"Better," he brushed my hair gently behind my ear, "Now that you're awake."

"Mmm," I leaned into his hand, but then pulled away with a depressing thought. "Luke?"

"What's up?" He sat at my bedside, watching me intently.

"You're not keeping anything from me, are you?"

"What do you mean?" He shot me a defensive glare. "Rebecca, you know I wouldn't –"

"I know," I sighed, "But I had this dream…" And so I told him about my dream and what Kronos said to me about him having a role to play and that he was going to supply us with a General. I told him that there were two half-bloods at a place called Westover Hall, but I left out the part about them being children of Hades. (For some reason I felt I should keep that information to myself, at least for now.)

"We'll send a monster over there to fetch them," Luke said when I was done. "Maybe that manticore, Thorn, or something. But as for what Kronos told you…" He seemed to be avoiding my gaze as if to hide his eyes from mine. He knew that if I looked deep enough into his eyes I would be able to see his future. It seemed that he was hiding something from me; something that I would see in time. "Perhaps he was talking about me recruiting more of an army and helping him regenerate. What else could it be?"

I shrugged, "I guess you're right," although I had a feeling that wasn't it.

"You need rest, Rebecca. That necklace drains you too much. Take it easy for a while, I'll take care of things." He kissed me lightly on the forehead and within seconds I was in a dreamless sleep.

…

"Luke, don't do this," I pleaded as we stood atop Mount Tamalpais in San Francisco. It was a cool night and the sea breeze rushed soothingly past my face, but I felt like the weight of the sky was thundering down upon me. However, it wasn't me that had to bare the weight of the sky, it was Luke.

"I can do this, Rebecca, don't worry," he assured me.

"It's too dangerous, it could _kill_ you."

"Hey," he brushed his hand gently across my cheek but I pulled away. "I bare the gift of Achilles now. I'll be fine."

"Let me look into your future then," I sneered.

He sighed but wouldn't meet my eyes, "You know I hate it when you do that. And it takes a lot out of you."

"No it doesn't!" I snapped. "Freezing time, using the necklace, now _that _takes a lot out of me, but looking into your future is _nothing._"

"Tell me, Rebecca, would you want to know _your _future?"

I shrugged.

"Then stop asking to see mine."

"Oh, come _on, _Luke. I won't tell you…What about your past, Luke? Please…Why don't you trust me?" I shot him a defiant glare, but still he would meet my gaze.

"I _do _trust you. You're Kronos' daughter, what's not to trust?" He laughed. "And as for my past…Trust me, you don't _want _to see that."

"Tell me then. I want to _know,_" I pleaded, but he made it clear that the discussion was over. As he walked along the trail to the top of the mountain I continued to glare at him coldly through my golden eyes until he disappeared through the mist. Reluctantly, I followed.

As soon as I stepped through the mist a sense of trespassing fell over me. I saw Luke up ahead attempting to sneak past a sleeping dragon, who was wrapped around a large tree. Luke had told me about this garden but I could never have imagined the beauty that resided just beyond the barrier and the terror of the dragon. He had at least a hundred heads with maws that could rip any normal sized cow to shred within seconds. All his eyes were closed but I could tell that he was still on alert with his heads bounding up and down in his sleep.

Luke was nearly past the dragon and I began to follow when three young girls appeared in my path.

"Do not pass, daughter of Kronos," the middle held out a hand to stop me.

"And why should I listen to you," I asked, calmly.

"Because if you don't Ladon will kill you," the one to the left answered.

"Not if I kill him first," I drew Bluefire from its sheath, the jagged edges gleaming forebodingly in the moonlight.

The Hesperides drew back in fright from the blade. "Where did you get that?" The girl to the right asked resignedly.

I held it up for them to see, toying the blade playfully between my fingers, stroking the cross of the two metals. "It was a gift," I explained, "From my father."

The nymphs gasped in horror and slowly began to retreat from my sword and away from Ladon.

"Presents from Titans are never welcome ones," the middle warned as she drew further back with her sisters. "It will only do as the Lord of time commands, nothing more." And then she vanished and Ladon awoke.

For most people getting past a hundred-headed dragon would be difficult, perhaps the last thing they ever do. But, luckily, I am not most people. The dragon's heads rose one by one off the ground to face me; the hundred pairs of eyes relayed one message, _Back off, or die._

So I did the only natural thing, I ran towards the dragon, focusing all my attention on the heavily weighted body, the hundred heads, the loud thumping of his gigantic heart. Just as I was seconds away from becoming dragon-chow Ladon froze, but I ran on. Jumping through the weave of heads was more difficult than intended, but I could already feel the power draining me so I hurried on to reach Luke.

As soon as I was within arms reach of him I let the dragon go and collapsed into his open arms.

"Nice one," he poised, brushing my bangs out of my eyes.

"Thanks," I panted as I rose to a standing position. "Shall we?" I jutted my head towards the mountain peak where a large man crouched low, his muscles flexed as he held his arms painfully above his head as if he was holding up something heavy. His face was red and his body sweaty, with every passing second his groans grew louder in my ears until all I could hear were his screams meshing in with the thunder that roared overhead.

Hesitantly, Luke nodded and progressed further up the mountain to the crouching man.

"Atlas?" Luke asked hesitantly once we reached the struggling man.

The man groaned, "Who else would I be you weak little–" He cut his sentence short when he noticed me lurking behind Luke. "What do we have here? Kronos' kid, eh?"

Moving to Luke's side I nodded, "Who else would I be?" I said smartly, flicking my hair back and jutting my chin upwards.

For a moment it seemed that the Titan would suppress a laugh but then his expression stiffened and he returned to his glowering face. "If you demigods haven't noticed I'm kind busy, so if you don't mind…

"My father sent us," I told him, which seemed to get his attention.

"Yeah," he drawled, "He told me `bout that. Said he would send his girl and some other dude to…what were his words? Oh yeah, 'collect' me. Said he would make me General," he smiled and readjusted the sky on his shoulders. "That part I like. But you kids don't know what you're getting yourselves into; you have to be _willing _to take the burden."

"I'm willing," Luke volunteered, and I cringed. I knew he had to do it, but I knew the consequences and the risks.

Atlas rose an eyebrow, "Are you now? And what would make a strapping young lad like yourself willing to take the weight of the sky?"

"That's none of your business," I warned him, "Luke takes the sky from you and in return you assist in the leading of our army and defeating Olympus. Do we have a deal?"

His eyes traveled up and down me like he was sizing up a cow ready for the slaughterhouse, his mind contemplating the most luscious steak. "You got some of your father's spunk I see."

"Do we have a deal?" I snarled through clenched teeth.

His smile faded, "Yeah…Sure, yeah, we got a deal, girly."

I nodded, "Don't call me girly."

"Swear on the River Styx," Luke joined in.

"Like the place you went for a swim?"

Luke and I exchanged a worrisome look, "How–did–you know that?"

Atlas laughed a cold laugh, similar to the one I remembered from my dream, the woman's scream echoing through my eardrums. "I'm a _god, _boy. I know a lot of things."

"Swear on the Styx," I repeated.

"Yeah, fine. Keep your shirt on girl. I swear on the Styx."

"Good," I nodded and turned to Luke. "Good luck," I told him.

"Thanks," he kissed me lightly on the lips and made his way over to Atlas.

Once Luke was in position the Titan was not slow to release his burden. He rose to feet and stretched out his arms triumphantly, "YES," he shouted in a voice that echoed across the mountainside, "FREEDOM!"

His second cry was added with the sudden set of screams protruding from the place whence he came. Luke crouched down, one knee planted firmly on the ground, his face was a bright shade of red, his scar as white as a Canadian frost. He was suffering this excruciating pain in exchange for the rise of yet another Titan.

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**Sorry to ruin the mood, but for all of you that have seen _A Very Potter Sequel_ (check it out on youtube if you haven't, but watch the first one first) I didn't intentionally quote Ron with the whole 'YES. FREEDOM!' but it happened and i noticed it so yeah... XD  
R&R please. CC is always welcome :)  
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	21. A Load to Share

**Thanks for the reviews guys. again CC is very much appreciated. Enjoy!**

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The sun struggled to reach the peak of the mountain as it reached late afternoon in the cold month of December. A layer of frost had already made its mark the previous night and threatened to do so again this one as I sat hunched against a rock awaiting news from the manticore. Atlas stood mere meters away from me in a heated discussion with two dracaenas.

The snake woman kept shooting me cold glanced filled with malicious contempt. I checked the clock on my necklace in vain for there was no set time that Thorn would arrive with the half-bloods. I had never been one to wait what with my ADHD, but this wait in particular drove me neigh insane.

I had sent the manticore to Westover Hall to retrieve the half-bloods like Luke suggested. We had given him one month to make his mark in the school and arrive back here with the children, but I hadn't yet mentioned the fact that they were Hades' children. I knew that if my father discovered the truth, that there were two more half-bloods of the Big Three, he would do everything in his power to retrieve them, and for some reason I didn't wan that. Perhaps it was the fact that it would provide me with a bargaining chip against my father, or perhaps it was the fact that the kids must have gone through so much already; something that I related to greatly. The eldest, Bianca, was four years from sixteen, making her twelve, so young. At twelve I was still in the foster-care system, moving from home to home miles away from here, in another country and another world.

I made it my goal that I would keep the half-bloods identities a secret for now.

Finally, after I felt like I couldn't take it anymore and that my buttocks grew soar from sitting on that rock, a girl with short brown hair came racing up the mountain towards me. Her name was Ally Mortenson and she was barely fourteen-years-old. She was a half-blood, but of which god, she did not know, no one did.

Ally finally stopped her sprint when she reached Atlas and me. I rose from my perch on the rock and Atlas turned away from the snake-women as Ally collapsed arms on knees in a vain attempt to regain her breath.

"What is it girl?" Atlas ordered impatiently.

"Is he here?" I asked hopefully, Atlas shot me a cold glare, which I had grown accustom to over the past few days.

Ally didn't answer, but nodded enthusiastically.

"Did he get the demigods?" Atlas pestered her.

Ally took a deep breath and spoke in a breathy voice, "No," she shook her head, "But…"

"But what?" Atlas and I questioned her in unison.

"He…got…another…from…camp…"

"What?"

I made my way hastily over to the path, which Ally had come from, but before I could see the manticore Atlas pushed passed me with a hard shove. I glowered at him from behind, but he didn't notice. The dracaenas followed close behind him and smiled coolly at me. Resentfully, I followed them until we reached the edge of the garden.

Once Atlas caught sight of the dragon he seemed to remember my authority and let me pass ahead of him. With a simple wave of my hand Ladon froze and Thorn passed by the tree casually, the body of a girl slung over his shoulder, he long blond curls bouncing with each bounding step and her arms hanging limp as the rest of her.

"Where are the demigods?" An agitated Atlas asked the manticore as he approached us.

With a jerk I released the dragon from his frozen state and collapsed in on myself. Simon, a son of Ares who I had appointed as somewhat my personal guard, caught me with strong arms.

"Thanks," I whispered to him as I gathered my bearings.

He did not answer, but nodded and stepped back again.

"They escaped," Thorn admitted, his head bent low.

"YOU INCOMPITENT–"Atlas roared, but I spoke over him.

"NOT NOW ATLAS!" His gaze darted towards me spitefully but I ignored him with a curt shake of my head. "_What _is this you have here then?" I asked Thorn, eyeing the girl's ratty hair.

The manticore roughly brought the girl down from his shoulders and dropped her heavily on the ground so that the frost crunched beneath her backside. She wore jeans, runners, and a blue long-sleeved shirt, which could only be seen past the shoulders for it was layered underneath an orange shirt that I recognized from my time at camp. Across the chest in bold black font it read 'Camp Half-Blood.' On her neck was slung a simple rope necklace with multitudes of decorative beads roped on along with an elegant college ring.

I bent low to the ground and slowly and carefully removed the blond curls from her face. Her face was scratched up and bruised but was undeniable the face of my old enemy's best friend, Annabeth Chase.

"Thorn," I stood up abruptly, momentarily blinded from the sudden rush of blood. "Look into my eyes." It was a regular order of mine so the burly man obeyed without question.

I was pulled back to day before. Thorn was herding two children, a brother and a sister, down a long hallway in what I guessed to be Westover Hall. The boy was small, no older than ten, with dark un-kept hair and malicious brown eyes. The girl, with the same olive-toned skin was slightly taller; I could only guess her to be Bianca. She had dark brown hair held up in a green tuque with a slight rim.

There was another boy with them as well, he had shaggy black hair and sea green eyes that stared resentfully back at Thorn. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. No sooner had they reached the cliff of a near-by mountain than a rather curious trio joined them. There was Annabeth and Grover, who I remembered from my stay in the Big House, but then there was another girl that I had never seen before. She had short black hair and electric blue eyes. Her nose was sprinkled with freckles, which would have made her seem innocent were it not for her gothic appearance and threatening shield.

They seemed to be growing tired as they attempted to subdue the manticore, and it seemed likely that he would succeed in not only capturing two demigods, but six, plus a satyr. But then it all went wrong; a hunting horn sounded in the distance and was followed by a slew of arrows protruding from the forest. In a flurry of the battle somehow Annabeth managed to jump upon Thorn's back and the next thing I knew they were both tumbling off the mountainside.

I jerked back to the garden with a flurry in my eyes. I found everyone's eyes staring upon me.

"So?" Atlas encouraged me.

I nodded shakily, "The hunters of Artemis," I explained. "Percy and another girl were there as well."

"Yes," Thorn assured the Titan. "The daughter of Zeus. They were there and I almost had the sea god –"

"BUT YOU FAILED!" Atlas roared and I swear I could feel the whole mountain shake in his anger. "GO! I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER!"

With that the manticore made his way up the mountain, but was stopped when Atlas shouted again.

"NOT THAT WAY YOU IDIOT!"

Thorn froze and turned terrorized towards the Titan, "My Lord?" He asked in a weak voice.

"Go to the ship," Atlas pointed a meaty finger in the direction of the road, which led down to the harbor where the Princess Andromeda was anchored.

"But–the–dragon–I…"

"You should have thought of that when you decided to come back here as a failure," Atlas said coolly.

"But–"

"GO! NOW!"

Hesitantly, Thorn skittered past us and towards the sleeping dragon that would not be asleep for long.

I couldn't help but suppress a smile.

"What are you smirking at?" Atlas said to me sourly.

I turned to him, one hand on my hip, the other on the hilt of Bluefire. "Nothing," I replied simply and my smile faded into a scowl.

"It isn't a complete loss," I explained, bending low to the demigod daughter of Athena, twirling her locks thoughtfully between my fingers.

"What does that mean?" He seemed reluctant to ask me any question.

I looked up at him, "She will take the sky from Luke quite willingly," I explained, "And then Artemis will take it from her. Have your men caught her yet?" I asked to confirm that the plan was in progress.

"We set a trap; a monster she couldn't resist hunting," he explained proudly.

"But do you have her yet?" I repeated persistently.

"Soon," he assured me.

"Psh," I scoffed, "I don't see _why_ my father wanted me to free you." I turned a cold shoulder on him and began to hike up the mountain to where I knew Luke was struggling to hold the sky.

"Oh, and get somebody to bring her to my tent," I waved a lazy hand towards the motionless body of the daughter of Athena. "She'll need to be prepped to wield your curse."

As I reached the peek where sky met land and felt the scowl diminish from my face as I laid eyes upon Luke, but it was not a smile that found its way upon my face, but a hard frown caused by the pain brought upon Luke by my father's will.

Every step that drew me closer to him felt like a step up to the grave of a loved-one; the final resting place of my only care in this world. _No, _I thought, _Luke isn't dead._ I had to remember that. However, he may soon be dead if I don't do something.

"Hey," I attempted a smile as I knelt next to his weak form. He looked worse than ever before, his scar shone like a dying rose and his eyes filled with smoky desire that fogged his resilient blue shade.

He managed a curt nod, but stubbornly refused to look at me.

"How you holding up?" I asked, brushing my short hair out of my face.

"Sky–" He attempted.

"What? What was that?"

"Holding–up–sky," he smiled weakly.

I let lose a slight giggle that only faded when he grimaced under the pressure. "You always were one for out-of-place humor," I remarked.

"Huh," he laughed, "Yeah."

"You won't have to hold it for long," I assured him. "Annabeth's here."

He perked up at her name, "What?"

"Thorn brought her from his quest."

"The–half-bloods?"

I shook my head, "They escaped. Don't worry about it though, I have a plan."

"What…is…it?" Readjusting the sky on his shoulders he asked.

"You always told me that you and Annabeth were close, eh?"

Feebly he nodded.

"She'll do anything for you?"

"She–use to…"

"Then she'll take the sky," I shrugged.

He shot me a horrified look only to remember that he didn't want me to see his past and future and looked away again. "No."

"What?"

"It…will…kill her," he panted.

"It's already killing _you_," I retorted.

"I'm…fine…I have…gift…Achilles…" He vainly attempted to assure me, but I was not so easily persuaded.

"And because of that you could last these past few days, but…" I paused. "But if you hold it any longer it _will_ kill you." I stood up from my crouch near to Luke, "When she wakes up I'm bringing her here. She won't have to hold if for long, Luke. Artemis will be here soon enough and she'll take it from there."

No matter how long I stared down upon his waning form he would not show any sign that he agreed with me or ever heard me.

"I'll be back before the day's end," I guaranteed him and made my way back to my tent.

Mount Tam had become our base camp, with the headquarters residing on the Princess Andromeda. The camp resided along the edges of the mountain as to not be visible for the mortals residing below or for any that managed to venture to the ruins of Mount Othrys.

Simon waited for me at the threshold of the command tent alongside Atlas' dracaena. I nodded for him to wait as I stepped into the ten, brushing the beige material aside. Inside the shelter I noted the unconscious girl slumped in a chair in the centre of the room, her hands tied in tight bonds behind her back. Atlas stood over her, hands on hips. Next to him stood a large humanoid creature that I did not recognize; their backs were turned to me. I sensed the Titan's eyes scanning my possessions with a greedy glare.

"Atlas," I said in a harsh tone. He turned to me guiltily. "May I ask _what_ it is that you are doing?"

"I brought the girl here. Or is that not what you wanted, _Rebecca?_" He asked in mock respect.

Straightening my body to look the Titan in the eyes I said, "You should show some respect, _Atlas,_"

"Or what?" Scoffed the god.

There was no need for me to speak a word, I merely let my concentration fall upon the muscle mass that was Atlas; his every blood cell coursing trough his veins with every beat of his heart. He opened his mouth to speak, but found his lips frozen together. I noted the panic in his eyes as the god tried to break through my time-frozen boundaries and I let loose a triumphant smirk before I let him fall apart from my grip.

Placing my hands on my hips I strode exultantly towards him. "Need I remind you who it is you are dealing with, Atlas? I am the daughter of Kronos; your _lord._ Do not underestimate me or belittle me for I have control of this entire army. And when my father rises to full power I can ensure you many things; from a place of power to a place in the deepest depths of Tartarus," I snarled.

"Are you _threatening _me?"

Laughing, I replied simply, "Of course I am, bud." Glancing at Annabeth's now stirring form I opened the flap of the tent. "Now go."

Without another word of rebellion he left me.

"Simon," the son of Ares jerked into attention, "Come here." Obediently he stepped inside the tent and stood attentively in the corner.

Cracking my neck I turned away from the guard and towards the bound demigod, whose eyes were now fluttering open.

"Hello, Annabeth," I greeted her malevolently, "Nice to see you again."

Grey eyes staring intently upon me she spat, "What do you want?"

"Well," I began, "It seems that you were brought here by one of my men, so I figured I might as well show you a warm welcome."

"You call this a 'warm welcome'?" She gestured bitterly to her bound hands.

I laughed, "Around here, yeah. That's as warm a welcome as you're going to get. Especially for you."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She shot back.

I pulled a chair in close to face her, "Let's see…You're from Half-Blood Hill. You're Percy Jackson's friend. Let's face it, you'd probably kill me the first chance you get."

"I wonder why," she mumbled.

"Yeah, I do wonder. I mean you and I have so much in common."

"I'm _nothing _like you," she guaranteed me.

"Is that so? Let's see, we both ran away, we both experienced challenges when we were very young. Oh, and not to mention, we both care for Luke."

There was nothing for her to say to this, for she knew I was right.

"Tell me Annabeth, do you want Luke to live?"

Her gaze refused to meet mine, but she nodded.

"Good, then come with me."

I gestured for Simon to retrieve Annabeth and to follow me out the door. As we passed by the dracaena they joined our ranks along with Atlas. It was an odd group, but the army knew to part way when Atlas and I came their way.

"Where are you taking me?" Annabeth vainly attempted to squirm out of Simon's clutch.

"You'll see," I laughed a cold, wicked laugh that echoed across the mountainside, down to the mortals settling down for the evening, unaware of what horrors occurred overhead atop their beloved mountain.


	22. Trust Must be Earned

**So so sorry that it took me so long to post this. I was suffering from writer's block. That's why it's kinda short, but whatever. Here it is. Not my best work, but no worries, next chapter should be up faster and be better quality  
Anyways, enjoy!  
**

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I will never forget the look on Annabeth's face when she laid eyes upon Luke supporting the sky. Her knees went weak and pools of tears formed in her eyes when we reached the mountaintop.

"Luke," she cried, resisting the pulls of Simon's and the shouts of the dracaena. Hands still bound behind her she turned to me resentfully, "How could you _do _this to him? I thought you said you care about him?"

"I _do _care about him, that's why I brought you here," I replied bitterly.

Her gaze drew off of me as she faced Luke again, "Luke?" She asked in a weak voice.

"Annabeth?" He struggled to lift his head to the sound of her voice.

Annabeth turned to me with a horrified glare, "It's killing him!"

"I know," I sighed.

"Do something!"

"Like what? Take the sky for my own burden?" I shook my head, "I have more important things to do."

"More important than saving his _life?_"

I turned my head, refusing to meet her gaze. She turned back to Luke.

He dropped to his knees and in a flurry of movement Annabeth was released of her bonds and raced over to assist Luke. Just as she reached him he collapsed in a heap on the ground and Annabeth somehow managed to support the weight of the sky with her small body.

I rushed over to help Luke. He lied in a heap in front of Annabeth, his face on the ground, each shaky breath taking in a gulp of dirt.

"Luke?" I gently lifted his head to look at me but his eyes wouldn't open, his pulse was weak; almost nonexistent. "You," I turned sharply to the dracaena, watching the scene. They perked up as I point a finger at two of them. "Take him to the healers. Make sure he is looked after."

Hissing violently at me the two snake-women lifted his motionless form and carried him away, his arm hanging longingly out, reaching towards me. I brushed it lightly with my hand but pulled away as he whispered, "Annabeth…" And he was brought down the mountain the healing tent and I was left with a sickening emptiness in my chest. Why had he said Annabeth's name and not mine?

Turning briskly on my heal I found myself facing the mound that was Atlas, his arms crossed and his dark eyes penetrating mine. "What?" I asked defiantly.

He shrugged, his shoulders feet above my head, "Nothing." As he walked away I watched as a small smirk formed on his broad face and soon enough he was full out laughing.

A wave of resentment washed over me as I felt a large hand fall precariously upon my shoulder. In a flurry of rage I wiped out Bluefire and sliced around at my aggressor. Backing up I watched as Simon, son of Ares, fell to the ground, his torso cut in-two and blood pouring out over the rocks.

It was awhile until I noticed a horrified demigod staring at the body from beneath her burden. "What–" Annabeth began.

"It's rude to stare, Chase. And I think it best if you kept concentrated on your task at hand." Turning to a group of near-by demigods who had noticed the scene I shouted, "Clean it up," and took the same trail as the dracaena towards the healing tent.

…

It only took two days for Luke to fully recover from his time bearing the sky, but it seemed like much longer. I rarely left his bedside as he lay there, his breathing shallow and his heartbeat a weak murmur to the ears. His once silky blond hair was streaked with grey on either side of his slim face. I did not act as the typical girlfriend, nursing the man I love back to health, I left that job to the healers, but it took everything for one to draw me away from his side.

There were a few half-bloods who attempted to aid me in my suffering, tried to sooth my emotions and get my mind off of things, but I would not let them get close. I could not let anyone near to me, for fear of developing a close bond with them and then the fear of losing them. This was not the first time that I had come close to losing Luke, and I knew it wouldn't be the last. The gift of Achilles had made him stronger and able to withstand the pressure of the sky, but would it ever assist him again?

On the second day I was forced away from Luke with an urgent message from Atlas; Artemis had arrived.

Reluctantly, and only when I was sure that Luke was all right I followed the messenger up the trail to the mountaintop. I was accompanied by my recently recruited bodyguard, a young son of Apollo, with features startlingly similar to that of the deceased Alex Rideau.

As we drew closer to the point of earth-sky interception I became aware of a strong force, that of which I had felt something similar to before, but never so enlightening, never so…good. It was the power of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. She knelt on the stones, her arms raised and her auburn hair in knots as she struggled to hold the sky at will. Her plain but beautiful face was contorted with the emotions of grief, anger, pain, and fear.

Atlas watched her from afar with a smug expression as his guards surrounded him, prepared for an assault.

Leaving the messenger and my guard behind I slowly advanced on the goddess.

"Ma'am," the son of Apollo warned, raising a hand.

"It's fine," I assured him, "She can't hurt me now." Kneeling at my old enemy I spoke quietly, "Can you, Artemis?"

Raising her head to look me in the eye she growled, "I should've known you were behind this."

"Yeah," I laughed, "A daughter of Kronos, as I am, gives me…connections."

"Connections to the Titans," the goddess hissed, readjusting the sky on her shoulders.

"All the better," rising to my feet I turned to the crowd that had gathered. "The last time I saw this woman she drove an arrow through my back. Finally, she is suffering the consequences for her actions." I turned to the goddess, "No one messes with me, Artemis, not even a goddess." Turning back to the army I continued, "We have already raised one Titan from his prison, and soon the rest shall share in his freedom. With my father's help we have captured a goddess, and the other Olympians will soon be lining up for their turn to bear the weight of the sky. This is a glorious day, men. This is a day that we will not soon forget, for this day marks the beginning of the end of Olympus."

With the final word the entire army burst into cheers of triumph and glory. Swords were drawn into the air and the sun shone all the brighter, reflecting off the blades with each magnificent ray.

Stepping away from the goddess I came face to face with Atlas.

"That was not your speech to give, girl," he snarled.

"That _was _my speech to give, actually. I have been the one recruiting this army from the bottom up. I have been training them for months, and risking my life to see the Titans rule again. What have you done? You sat around like a damsel in distress for someone to rescue you. If it weren't for me you would still be standing there," I pointed to the mountain's peek. "It's time you learn some respect for your superiors, _Atlas._" I began to make my way back to the camp when I felt his fierce hand grip my forearm mid-swing.

Pulling me close he whispered menacingly, "I can crush you with a single blow," he began to twist my arm painfully, but I didn't dare show the fear in my eyes. "_I _am the General here, missy, and you are nothing but a warped little _brat_."

"Is that so?" I snided.

"Yeah," he nodded, unaware that I was gradually slipping Bluefire out of its sheath and raising it.

"So what, you're gonna` kill me?"

"Oh, I will do much worse than that."

I smiled, a gesture of which he did not return for he realized seconds too late what I was doing. Shock filled his face as I pressed my blade against his throat none-too-gently.

"Don't threaten me, Atlas. Not ever. Consider this your final warning." As I lowered my blade he released his grip on my arm and we walked away in opposite directions.


	23. Behind Enemy Lines

**Hey, don't have much to say now, except it would seem I'm passed my writer's block for the time being, so that's good. Thanks for all the reviews. CC is always great.  
So, anyways, enjoy!**

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Everything was going as planned; Artemis was under the weight of the sky, Atlas was free, the ruins of Mount Othrys were slowly reforming, and soon enough Percy Jackson would come for Annabeth only to meet his doom. I no longer received nightmares from my father, only messages of what I was to do next. The mark on my shoulder had not burned in weeks and it seemed that for once Kronos was proud of me, or at least, had suppressed an urge to torture me. Atlas had learned his lesson and forcibly remained at a distance unless he was forced to do otherwise.

Barely a day had passed since the arrival of the goddess and Luke was well healed when I stood in the command tent with a small crowd of monsters and demigods. I had summoned Atlas to discuss our plans but he seemed to be running on his own clock and therefore was late.

"If he fails to show up in the next thirty seconds I will _personally_ burn a watch to his wrist with a burning hot sword," I snarled, leaning over the centre table with my fists clenched around the edges.

Luke set a hand reprovingly on my shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. A gesture that he removed when I heard a rustling outside the cloth door and in stepped the Titan.

"You're late," I noted, as his regular slew of monsters crowded in after him.

"Yeah," Atlas agreed, taking a seat in a large chair across the table from me. "What'd I miss?"

Glowering at him through the curtain of my bangs I said, "We were _waiting_ for you."

"Oh, were you? How kind," he mused, lacing his meaty fingers together over his lap.

Noticing my white knuckles Luke chimed in, moving the conversation forward, "Our spy reports that the group set out from camp hardly a day or so ago. The oracle came down during a game of capture the flag so she could hear the prophecy."

A round of rustling and murmurs followed this statement. It was common knowledge that the Oracle of Delphi resided in a corpse in the attic the Big House. The fact that it had come down from its residence was unimaginable.

Luke raised his hand for silence and continued, "The lines of the prophecy were as follows;

_Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,__  
__One shall be lost in the land without rain._  
_The bane of Olympus shows the trail,_  
_Campers and Hunters combined prevail._  
_The Titan's curse must one withstand,_  
_And one shall perish by a parent's hand."_

"That last line I like," Atlas laughed once Luke finished. "Those kids don't stand a chance."

I shot him a malicious look for him to shut up. "Go on Luke."

He took a deep breath, "The group member include the satyr, Grover Underwood, Artemis' lieutenant, Zoe Nightshad_e, _a newly appointed huntress known as Bianca Di Angelo," my heart skipped a beat with the name of the unknown daughter of Hades. But it seemed Luke was having difficulty repeating the next name, "And," he gulped, "Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus."

_Oh great, _I thought, _Just what I need._

Suddenly, the sound of a throat being cleared filled the room and Thorn, the manticore stepped forward, hand raised as if he were in school.

_"_What is it Thorn?" Luke asked, eyes rolling.

_"_Well, forgive me if I'm wrong," he began softly, "But I thought...I mean...I only counted four names..." Luke and I both raised an eyebrow, "_Sir._"

"Congratulations Thorn," I spoke in mock admiration, "You've learned to count."

Luke smiled at me, "I was getting to the fifth, _Thorn_."

The manticore slunk back into the crowd.

"It appears that a certain old friend of mine, Percy Jackson, has snuck out after the group. For what reason, I do not know, but I am sure that Percy will stop at nothing to rejoin his friends."

The were a bunch of nods of understanding then Atlas chimed in, "Great. But as it seems I am one step ahead of you Castellan. The group is heading to the Smithsonian. I already have men posted there with the Princess Andromeda nearby."

"Excuse me?" I cut in. "You did this without informing me _first?_"

"Yes I did, girly. What're you gonna do about it?"

Disregarding his rhetorical question I said, "And how are we suppose to get there if the ship is gone?" I could not believe this man's idiocy.

"Girl, you may think I'm stupid, but I'm still a god. I have powers that even you don't have."

"Like what? And would you _quit _calling me _girl_?"

"Why don't you and your boyfriend here just take an arm and we'll be on our way?"

I glanced at Luke cautiously; he shrugged but gripped one of Atlas' beefy arms. Reluctantly, and only when I was sure that Bluefire was strapped to my side, I followed suit.

I don't think I'll ever understand how it happened or _what _had happened, but one minute I was standing in the command tent atop Mount Tam and the next I was standing outside some large museum. A sign to my far left read what I made out to read 'The Sonsmithian', which I figured actually be 'The Smithsonian'. Looking around I noticed just how busy American streets could get. The most of the States that I had ever seen was New Jersey, and I was only five years old. I had never been to New York City before, except for Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty. So much had changed since then, and so much was soon to change. The Titans were rising and I was helping them. We would soon destroy Camp Half-Blood, Olympus, and all who opposed us. For years all I wanted was a home, and now I had one, I had Luke, I had my own army, so why wasn't I happy? Wasn't this what I wanted?

I shook the thought violently from my head as I followed Atlas away from the Air and Space Museum and towards what seemed to be the Museum of Natural History, Luke picking up the rear. Outside the doors hung a large sign that I couldn't make out due to my dyslexia.

Atlas caught me staring at the sign and laughed, "As you can see I have thing under control."

I shot a look of confusion at Luke and then shrugged.

I felt small as we stood outside the museum in the crowded streets. I had spent so much time with the Titan army, so far from the real world that I had grown accustom to the seclusion of the camp and almost afraid of the real world or a normal life.

I was just about to follow Atlas into the museum when I met the gaze of a boy with short dark hair and plain but sweet brown eyes. His clothes hung loosely on him but not unattractively. He seemed to be on a school trip with a normal grade ten class. He stared at me for a moment and smiled. I wanted to smile back, but at that moment I felt Luke's hand on my waist as he slung his muscular body around to my side and the boy looked away. I held my gaze on him longingly until I could not crane my neck any further.

As we walked through the building we passed by a dinosaur exhibit with large tyrannosaurs staring down upon us, their teeth gleamed in the dim light maliciously.

We finally entered at a room with large wooden doors. As the doors swung open we were greeted with the sight of at least a dozen mortal guards and demigods all standing around a room with cathedral ceilings. The second floor was rimmed with a railing where Atlas' normal dracaena guards stood waiting for us.

Glancing over at Luke and I, our mouths gaping open, Atlas let out another small laugh, "Impressed, are you?"

I turned my head quickly towards him and scoffed, "Hardly."

"Oh, you will be. Once I show you _my_ new recruits."

"Your _what?_" Luke and I asked in unison.

Atlas let out a maniacal laugh, "You'll see…soon enough."

He looked away, but I kept my gaze fixed on him for a few moments hoping that he would give me an answer, but he failed to abide my wishes so I looked away.

"Why here?" Luke asked as Atlas led us up the stairs to the balcony.

"Because," Atlas explained, "Not only will the quest group be nearby, but it has certain…" He paused for a moment as he searched for the right word, "Inventory that we need for my plan to work."

"And what _is_ your plan exactly?" I stepped ahead of Atlas as to stop him in his tracks, a cold look on my face. "Stop trying to hide things from me Atlas, you know you can't."

"Fine then," the Titan said reluctantly. "Look into my eyes, _girl_. Find out my future. Use your powers on me. Oh wait, you can't!"

Out of reflect my hand shot to his throat and I felt a sharp pain in my gut. Slowly, Atlas' face began to loose its muscle and lengthen with long wrinkles. His godly power began to decrease the longer I held my grip. The normal power in his eyes was replaced with something quite uncharacteristic; fear. Reluctantly, I let go and his features returned to normal.

He rubbed his neck paranoid, then looked up at me with pure rage. "You play a rough game, girl, I'll give you that."

Shaking my hair back proudly I prepared for his explanation.

"If you must know," his eyes shot between Luke, who had joined me at my side, and I. "I have one of my men coming here to meet us, with dragon teeth."

"_Dragon teeth_? What good will those do us?" I asked, puzzled.

Atlas let out another chuckle, "They do us a lot of good if you have the right tools."

I shook my head bored, "I still don't follow."

"I'll just say that we won't have to worry about anymore of our army dying."

"And why is that?"

"Because you can't kill something that's already dead." With that Atlas pushed past me and continued up the steps.

"I don't trust him," I told Luke once Atlas was out of earshot.

"You don't trust anyone, Rebecca. But really, we don't have a choice," he brushed my head sweetly and followed Atlas.

…

Not even a half-hour later I found myself standing atop the second-level railing on one side of a large throne. On the opposite side stood Luke, staring wearily at the ground below. In between us sat the large bulk that was Atlas with his knuckles clinging angrily to the arms of his chair. I found my hand resting, as usual, on the hilt of Bluefire, the blue eyes of the dragonhead staring maliciously at the dracaena guards who stood beside, but cautiously far away from me.

"Whatever you're planning to do, Atlas, you'd better hurry up and do it. I won't wait here forever," I explained sternly to Atlas.

"Patience Rebecca!" He raised a hand in my direction. "I am simply making sure that our…friends are near for my men to attack."

The dracaenas laughed and I shot them a heated glare and their serpent-like giggles ceased.

It was then that Thorn, the manticore stormed into the room, his clothes worn and his breath coming in heavy gasps as he regained it.

"You sent _him _to locate the quest group?" I asked, stunned. "He's impertinent, incompetent, he–"

"Was getting in my way," Luke whispered, I smiled.

"Exactly," Atlas agreed. "Well?" He asked Thorn, a little louder.

"They are at the Rocket Ship building," Thorn began.

"Air and Space Museum," Luke corrected smugly.

"Whatever you say," Thorn caught my gaze and I shot him a menacing glare, "_Sir,_" he added reluctantly, I nodded.

"How many?" Atlas questioned the monster.

"Four, just like you said; a satyr, two hunters, one with a silver tiara," he began to explain.

"That one I know," Atlas huffed. He wasn't the only one who knew the huntress, Zoe Nightshade. I could still feel where the arrow had pierced my back the last time we met. I couldn't help but wonder if she still held a grudge against me for killing her companions.

"And a demigod, wearing…what do you call them…punk clothes," the manticore continued.

"Thalia," Luke breathed so softly I could barely hear him but I shot my gaze over, he didn't notice my discomfort.

Pushing Luke's actions aside I declared, "Percy Jackson won't be far behind them."

Atlas turned around in his chair to look at me perplexed.

"You don't believe me?" I asked him. "Just wait, Percy will be here soon enough." At that moment I could have sworn I saw the uniform of one of the mortal soldier's sway as if a light breeze had passed by, but it was only for a moment and there was no place in which a breeze could emit from.

The Titan scoffed and turned back to his minion.

"Let me take them," Luke suggested, "We have more than enough–"

"Patience," Atlas held up a hand to silence him. "I've already sent one of my monsters to deal with them."

"And if that doesn't work?" I asked, impatiently.

"It _will _work," Atlas assured me.

"But if it doesn't and they get away, what then?"

He did not answer.

"I'll go," I said, turning to leave but Luke grabbed my arm.

"You can't go alone, Rebecca. They'll kill you," his face was full of deep concern.

"I'm a big girl, Luke. I can take care of myself," I said, brushing his arm away.

"I'll come with you then."

"No," Atlas and I said at once.

"We cannot risk you, my boy," Atlas said.

"Yes _boy,_" Thorn chimed in, obviously pleased at Luke's pet name. "Let me help the girl."

I shot a glance down at him signifying my disapproval.

"No," Atlas rose from his chair. "You have already failed me, Thorn."

"But, General–"

"No excuses!"

I laughed and began my decent down the steps to the first level. By the time I got there Atlas was standing beneath the railing gripping a piece of silver cloth.

"Oh, Rebecca," he called at me just as I advanced on the large doors. "Do be careful when my–ah–_men_ come for the group.

Glaring at him I nodded, slightly confused. "Whatever, Atlas. If you're lucky I won't have killed them all before your men come," I smiled and then exited through the doors, Bluefire at my side, and malicious contempt in my heart.


	24. Friend or Foe?

**Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait, last week I had drivers ed, and then I went shopping this weekend and since then I've been helping my mom and sister build a barn for our horses...*takes a deep breath* ANYWAYS, I was kind confused with the layouts of the museums in New York (cause I've never been) so I'm simply guess about some stuff, so if you see any facts that are wrong PLEASE let me know so I can get those fixed.  
R&R please, CC is always appreciated.  
Enjoy!**

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Passing by the dinosaur exhibit I slowly ventured to the exit of the museum, but just as the exit doors came into view I snuck behind a large pillar and readied my sword. I sucked in my stomach and laid my back against the rigid side of the pillar, making sure my form was completely hidden from any on-lookers. The sheath of my sword hung lightly at my side as a small draft filtered through it, releasing a quiet howl in the empty hall, echoing off the dank walls. I quickly muted it against my side in my wait.

What was I waiting for? Even I did not know. I knew that something, someone, was hidden in that hall; an invisible being that was spying on us. I had a hunch as to who it was, but I didn't dare try to sway my beliefs, I had to be ready for anything.

Sure enough, within moments my hypothesis was proved right. I slipped deeper into the shadows as Percy Jackson flew by, panting, a baseball cap gripped in one hand and a pen in the other. Usually a cap and pen would be thought of as harmless, but I knew of the hidden power the objects wielded.

Just as the heavy glass doors closed behind him I casually followed. As soon as I stepped outside the sun blinded me, slowing beginning its decent. Lifting my sword hand to my eyes I spotted Percy racing down the street to the Air and Space Museum, a place of which I knew I couldn't let him reach. If Percy were to join ranks with Thalia and the others I would never be able to over-take him, and I couldn't trust Atlas' pet to take them out. I had to stop Percy on my own, but I was running out of time…time. That's when it hit me. I needed to stop Percy before he reached his comrades, but he was already so far away, and I couldn't just freeze him and leave the mortals to question my actions. I would be forced to freeze the entire area.

Taking a deep breath I let my eyelids fall shut and my mind clear. I slowly began to focus on every person within seeing distance; all the shopkeepers, the mothers running after their small children, the workers rushing home after their shift was over, and finally Percy, who was merely meters from the entrance to the museum. I felt a sharp tug in my gut and it was everything to keep myself from tumbling over from the pressure.

Slowly, taking in deep breaths, I opened my eyes and was pleased to find the entire street frozen within time, and myself free to walk the distance from the one museum to the next. Every step hurt as a renowned pain shot through my spine as I struggled to hold control of time. Within seconds I had painfully made it down the street to where Percy stood, his sword still in pen form.

_I could do it, _I thought, _I could kill him right now. He's helpless, with no way to defend himself._ But for some reason I couldn't, it just seemed so wrong. Without another thought on the matter I dragged his limp body around the corner into a dark alleyway, and with a shutter I released time again.

The noise of the street traffic continued to my left as the afternoon bustle hurried on. Percy took in a deep breath as he realized with a shock that I held him against the brick wall, my sword pointed at his gut. His eyes scanned up and down my body, the different metals in my blade seeming to frighten him to the point of paralysis, then his sea green eyes slowly moved sky bound until he was staring pleadingly up at me.

Swallowing hard he finally spoke through clenched teeth, "Why don't you just kill me already, Rebecca?"

Raising an eyebrow I replied with a smirk, "Have you learned nothing about me Percy? I enjoy my fun when I can get it."

"So what?" He asked, "You're going to torture me?"

"No," I slowly loosened my grip and moved my sword-point back. "I'm going to fight you."

Eyes wide, he shoved the baseball cap into his jeans pocket. "What?"

"You heard me," I stepped even farther back to give him room for his sword. "Or are you too afraid to face me?" I taunted.

With a snarl he uncapped his ballpoint pen and within seconds he held a large broadsword with a golden handle, Riptide. "Fine," he agreed, "Let's do this."

"Don't worry," I assured him, "I'll kill you quickly."

Gritting his teeth in a tight glower he lunged at me, sword held high for a strike.

I quickly took a step back and Riptide caught in one of the crevices of my blade. I quickly spun my blade around his so that my sword-point aimed at his throat, but he was fast. He quickly disengaged and forced my blade over his head. Pushing hard, he sent a burst of power back at me through the blade and I found myself stumbling back. I was forced to quickly gain balance as he advanced on me. He made a sudden stab at my stomach but I caught his blow in a cross swing and parried his blade to the right.

In a flurry of swings I landed my blade in his shoulder. A futile scream filled the alleyway, but the mortals were oblivious to any noise that Percy or I produced.

Infuriated, he pushed me roughly back, but not before I could yank Bluefire out of his flesh, gracelessly twisting it to scrape the bone of his shoulder blade.

For a moment we both leaned against opposite walls, panting, Percy assessing the damage done to his shoulder. It was a deep wound and gushed blood, and the scrape to the shoulder blade did not allow for movement, but to my dismay it was not his dominant arm.

Left arm clinging to his side he lunged at me once more with renewed force. Flustered, I clumsily caught the swing with Bluefire, but my grip was not firm enough and his blade slipped off the tip of mine, scraping a large chunk of skin off of my dominant shoulder.

Now it was my turn to cry out in agony, but I did not let the noise leave my throat. I swallowed hard and gritted my teeth through the pain. Quickly switching the arm that I held my sword in I caught Percy's next blow, this time successfully.

Fighting with my left arm was more difficult as I did not have as much control over my actions, but I was trained enough that I could hold my own against an injured opponent, but I could not remain this way for long. Percy was slowly gaining defeat over me but I could not let him do that, I _would not_ let him defeat me.

Blood still oozing from my wound I switched sword arms again and fought with rehabilitated energy. Every blow was harder than the last, and even though it pained greater than ever before, I simply grimaced and fought through it.

I was exhausted, I need to rest soon, but I noticed that Percy too was tiring quickly now, a steady bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. His sea-green eyes followed my blade every which way as he tried to meet my blows, but his eyes were sinking deeper into his face as he grew tiresome. He knew that he could not last much longer, he winced every once in awhile from pressure on his wounded shoulder. I felt his pain; I had already been exhausted from holding the street still for such an extended length of time, and the fighting wore me down as the seconds pressed on. Once in awhile I was forced to change my arm that I used, until my right arm was screaming with horrendous pain and I was forced to stick with my left.

The minutes ticked by, I had no recollection on whether we'd been fighting for fifteen minutes, a half-hour, two hours, I did not know. The sun was slowly setting over the building and it would soon be dark. I met eyes with Percy and by an unspoken agreement we ceased fighting and sunk into low crouches against the brick wall, panting and bloody.

That was it; neither of us could defeat the other because…we were equal.

"Well," I panted, "It seems that the stories were true for once."

He looked up at me quizzically, "What?"

"They always said you were good with a sword," my breath slowly began to steady and I let my sword clatter to the ground, Percy did likewise.

"Yeah," Percy breathed. "You're not so bad yourself."

I smiled, letting my head loll down, and slowly I began to laugh; not the usual malicious laugh that I had come to call my own, but a happy sort of laugh that reflected all those wondrous times. I was four-years-old, running up and down the long beach with Sarah at my side, then I was ten-years-old and I had made my first real friend, I was fourteen and sharing a laugh with Alex over a poem that he had tried to help me write, I was racing through the grass at Camp Half-Blood, Percy at my side, smiling.

When I looked up Percy was laughing too, his eyes shone like the sun against the water, and his smile reminded me of Luke's, except I hadn't seen Luke smile in a long time.

Our eyes met and the laughter ceased. What were we doing? We were enemies; we should be killing each other, not _enjoying _ourselves.

"What ever happened to you?" Percy asked hesitantly.

I shrugged, "I was claimed by a Titan, Percy, _that's_ what happened."

"I thought–I mean–before this all started, I thought…that we could have…been _friends_." The idea seemed so third worldly, so inexplicably unthinkable. In what world could the heroic son of Poseidon be friends with the villainess daughter of Kronos? It could never happen, _would_ never happen, but for some reason his reasoning was quite…_reasonable._

"I know Percy," I agreed solemnly, "But that was in a different life. I'm sorry, I really am…"

"So, what now?" He asked, propping himself up on the wall, right arm gripping his left.

I shook my head, "I don't know." Taking a deep breath I rose to my feet, right arm gripped tightly to my torso, and sheathed Bluefire.

"You're not going to kill me?" Percy asked me, clearly bewildered.

"Not now," I assured him, reaching out my left hand for him.

Skeptically, he reached out his un-injured arm and awkwardly I helped him rise. I looked down for his sword, but it was already gone, no doubt magically returned to him.

"So, you're just letting me go?" He asked.

"For now, Percy. But let me make myself _very _clear. If we meet again I may have no choice but to finish you. If we are caught within reach of each other, not ready to slice the other's throat out, trust will be lost, especially for me. I cannot allow myself to loose the respect that I have gained, do you understand that?"

Eyes wide he nodded.

"Good," I said, "Then go," I gestured for him to leave and without another word he started towards the place of which we had entered the alleyway from. Just as the sun illuminated his dark hair I found myself shout, "Percy wait!"

He stopped and turned briskly on his heel towards me, a small smile playing on his face. "Yeah?"

"Be careful. Atlas isn't as peaceful as I am." And that's when I saw it; in his immediate past a skeleton had ripped a piece of cloth from his shirt and had the intention to seek him out until he was dead. "Just…watch out for his monsters, they _will _kill you if you're not careful."

"Thanks," he nodded, slightly confused.

"Don't mention it," I told him, half-shrugging, half-serious, then without another word and turned and left him.


	25. Behind Closed Eyes

**Sorry if this chapter and probably the next one seem a little bland, I'm leading up to something, but I've been trying to jazz them up a bit for you're guys' sakes.  
Anyways, thank you guys for all the reviews, favs, ****subs, ext. Here's chapter 25 (oh gods are we ever far haha) enjoy!**

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_I'm crazy,_ I found myself thinking as I lingered just outside the Air and Space Museum,_ I'm completely and totally crazy._ _Why on _earth_ did I let him go? _I knew that I had done wrong, but part of me also knew that my simple act of mercy would benefit me, someway, somehow, somewhere.

"Excuse me miss." I looked up to see a tall man in some sort of police uniform leering over me with a disapproving expression on his face. "Can you read?"

It was an odd question for someone to ask, so instinctively my hand went to my sword in case he was a monster of sort. I winced as I accidentally moved my injured arm. "Actually no," I replied hesitantly.

"Oh," he seemed taken aback, his deep brown eyes kept glancing wearily towards my shoulder, noting the spot of blood soaking through the jacket that I had thrown on to hide the wound until I could bandage it. "So you can't tell that this sign say 'No Loitering'?" He pointed a meaty finger at a yellow sign to my right. In black lettering it seemed to read something like '_oN tiLorng,' _but I decided to take the man's word on this.

"Sorry," I mumbled rising from my place against the brick wall, "Dyslexia." As I walked farther down the street to the other side of the building I felt his cold gaze on my back. Once I reached the far side and I knew that he had finally turned away I snuck down the alleyway opposite to where Percy and I had fought. Slumping down so that I had a clear view of the Museum's exit I began to wait again.

As soon as I hit the ground I threw off the jacket to view the damage on my shoulder. The sight was so gruesome I was forced to scrunch up my face to avoid vomiting or crying out in horror. The skin had pealed off in a thick, ragged layer, and was held on by a mere thread of skin the deepest shade of oily red. And the smell; the pungent smell of fresh blood mixed with city pollution. Turning away I greedily took a breath of air before ripping out a cloth from a small satchel I had grabbed before leaving Luke and Atlas, and wrapped it tightly around my shoulder. The pressure was excruciating on the wound, but it was the best I could do for now to ensure that I didn't loose any more blood.

Gasping, I laid back against the wall and waited. One minute. Ten minutes. I nearly dosed off a few times from exhaustion before I saw Percy fleeing the museum, his arm hanging loosely in a temporary sling and a sort of coat wrapped in his other. Beside him trotted Grover, the satyr, decked out in sneakers and blue jeans, an old cap hiding the horns that resided atop his curly head of hair. Behind them ran three girls; one was by no doubt Zoe Nightshade, my old enemy, her hair braided back and a silver circlet atop her head. Beside her ran another girl in a Hunter's uniform with olive skin and dark hair also braided, I recognized her from Thorn's memory, Bianca, daughter of Hades. The other girl I also acknowledged from Thorn's memory, her gothic appearance and electric blue eyes. She could only be one person; Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus.

I quickly slunk back deeper into the alley to make sure the group did not see me. I held by breath as they came only a few feet from my hiding place but within seconds they were gone.

Sighing, I rustled to the corner of the building and watched as the group hustled into a white van and sped off.

_Great,_ I thought, _How am I suppose to keep up with them now?_ I could've gone back to Atlas and Luke, made up some sob story as to why I didn't kill Percy, but I couldn't. I would be exiled, or Atlas would finally give up on my use to him and kill me. For some reason he did not want to risk Luke, but I was not as high in his books it seemed.

So I did they only thing I could on a busy New York street, I hailed a taxi.

"Where to?" The driver asked me, glancing back in his rear-view mirror.

"You see that white van?" I asked, because I couldn't think of anything else to do.

He nodded.

"Follow it."

His eyes screwed up in a confused expression, and then they narrowed in on my shoulder wound, which I had forgotten to cover up.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna` have to ask you to–" But he didn't finish his sentence, for in a split second I drew out my blade and thrust the handle roughly against his scalp, knocking him unconscious, possibly even killing him, I didn't bother to check.

As quickly as I could, I hauled him into the back seat and made it look as if he was a mere passenger sleeping, and took the wheel.

I had never actually driven a car before, but awhile-back one of my foster parents attempted to teach me the basics of how to work it, but it seemed that I was a natural. It was like I had done it before, in another life.

I quickly sped off the curb and into ongoing traffic, attempting to catch up with the van.

Once I placed myself about two cars behind the van it was easy to remain hidden but still keep track of Percy and co.

As I continued along in the heavy waves of traffic the driver showed no sign that he would awake anytime soon, but that wasn't what I was worried about. I was exhausted from the day's events and hadn't slept for a few nights already. I needed to rest, but I needed to stay alert to follow my prey.

It was after we passed the Potomac that I saw a disturbance wave over the van. Thalia was pointing out the window at something in the sky and the van quickly swerved around the next corner. As I struggled to maintain a lead on them I noticed that what they were pointing at was a helicopter. It must have been one of Atlas' recruitments of mortals. He thought they were the greatest new toys to play with, I thought he was despicable. If there was one thing I never liked, it was mortals.

The next thing I knew the gang was filing out of the car and buying tickets for the subway. I had never been on a train before, but I figured there's a first time for everything.

Being sure to evade their notice I paid for a ticket and found a seat in the car behind theirs. For a moment I was ready to fall asleep right there, but the feeling of being watched consumed me. I felt the murderous eyes of numerous mortals aboard the train fixed on me and my rugged appearance. I first ignored them, but when it was beginning to drive me to the brink of insanity I shot them each a furious look and they averted their gaze.

At the next stop I spotted the group switching trains, and I carefully followed suit, relieved to change my surroundings. We changed trains twice more in the next half-hour as they appeared to be avoiding being hunted, but they were deceived, for I kept a close watch on their progress.

It was growing late, and the train finally came to a complete stop. We had reached the end of the tracks. The railway leading west merely supported freight trains, none suitable for human travel.

As the group slowly huddled around a homeless man's burning trashcan I hid behind a rather large train and wrapped my coat tightly around myself in vain attempt to keep warm. The sun had long past set and the night seemed to be getting colder and colder. But for once I was glad of my Canadian raising. The winters in northern Ontario could get so cold that they would freeze up the heater and the whole town would be forced to gather together in the Community centre to keep warm.

But that did not make me immune to this chill. It had been years since I spent a winter up there. I had grown accustom to the warmer climate of New York, and that was one thing that made me weak.

Just as I began to loose the feeling in my toes and ears the lights on the train I had been hiding behind lit up, illuminating the snow-covered tracks. I realized that its cargo was a various assortment of vehicles.

Once I was sure that the crew had filed into the cars on the front of the train I silently slid aboard the train and into the soft interior of a Volkswagen.

The moment I closed my eyes I ventured into a horrible dreamland. I was at the base of Mount Tam in San Francisco standing amidst a large group of the Titan army. On every side of me were the devious eyes of demigods, dracaena, hellhounds, mortals, and more, glaring at me. It seemed that all the commotion was faced towards a focal point at the edge of the cliff. I tried to push through the crowd to discover the cause of it all, but no matter how much effort I put into the task I couldn't get any further.

Eventually, out of pure frustration I drew the menacing blade of Bluefire and sliced my way through the crowd, throwing aside the disemboweled body parts of my victims as I made my way to the base of the mountain. Soon I found myself with one last figure ahead of me, Atlas.

"Go on girly," he dared me, "Take a look."

He moved aside with a contending look on his face. I forced myself past him and fell to my knees at the sight.

I half-blood laid on the rocky ground, his limbs bent in awkward ways and his face red with blood. His back was bent around the rocks in an unnatural form. He looked so broken, so helpless. I wanted to touch him, to help him in someway, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't place a hand on him. I couldn't help my Luke.

In a flash the mountain was gone and I was in a grand room of a sort of castle. The walls were inlaid with gold tiles and the floor was a gleaming type of wood. In the far end of the room sat a familiar gold sarcophagus; my father's.

Each step I took toward the coffin echoed through the great hall with resounding pitches. A sense of fright weighted over me as I stopped merely a foot away, I had the urge to reach out and open the casket to view the ruminants of the Titan Lord, the body that at one time had conceived me.

My hands shook as I drew them from my side and placed them on the intricately crafted lid. Taking a deep breath I heaved on the lid and forced it off the case. It clattered to the floor in a great heap. Quickly I spun around to make sure I had no intruders as I viewed the coffin's contents, I was alone.

I turned back to the sarcophagus only to find it empty. The gold reflected the dim light blindingly into my eyes.

Shrugging, I made to move the lid back onto its container when I felt a large hand rest weightily on my shoulder. I spun around promptly ready to slice my assailant through, only to find Luke standing in front of me. His face was stern and the star shone a deep red, but then I focused in on his eyes, his gorgeous blue eyes…they were gold.

"NOOOOOO!" I shouted as I jerked into consciousness, only to clamp my hand over my mouth, to prevent any further noise from exiting it.

I couldn't have been asleep long, for the sun was nowhere near to rising, but I didn't dare go back to sleep in fear of what awaited me behind closed eyes.

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**R&R please, the quicker you review the quicker I'll update ;)  
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	26. Four Walking Skeletons

**R&R please guys. sorry it took so long to get this one up. Just started school again on Tuesday and I was at a concert last night, guess who for? WITHIN TEMPTATION!  
Enjoy! (I expect some reviews for this one)**

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My body shook uncontrollably through the hours as I awaited dawn. Not from the chill air; the car seemed to protect me from the elements well enough, but from anguish. Not only was I devastated from the recently discovered truth about Luke, but also my shoulder throbbed worse than ever. It had stopped bleeding over the journey, but I could feel the infection growing within the decayed flesh. In attempt to ward off the infection my body temperature rose to an alarming high, but I still shook. I could feel my eyelids slowly falling as they sunk deeper into my skull. My vision was hazy, as far as I could tell in the darkness of night, and my head ached.

_This is it_, I thought, letting my head fall against the headrest. _I'm gonna` die. There's nothing I can do about it._ I figured Percy had received some quick medical attention from his friends, but I did not share in his luck. I had no one to help me, no words to comfort me as I passed into Hades domain.

"Not giving up so quickly are you, Rebecca?"

My eyes shot open to find a young man sitting in the passengers seat next to me. He wore an old winter coat stained and torn, but as he removed the hood his shaggy, but attractive, blond hair fell neatly around his head and he looked at me with sky-blue eyes, ever more resilient that Luke's. His face was trimmed perfectly in a shape the seemed familiar to me, the way his cheek bones stuck out and his jaw jutted forward, but I didn't know from where.

"Always thought of you as a fighter," he smiled and suddenly I realized who he reminded me of.

"You're Artemis' brother, aren't you? Apollo." I almost whispered.

Raising an eyebrow he nodded. "Clever girl. Clever enough to outsmart my sister."

Unwillingly, my jaw dropped out of horror and realization as to why he was here. "Well go on then, Apollo. You obviously want me dead, so kill me. Why waste your time chatting?"

"Kill you?" He laughed, "Why on earth would I do that?"

I was reminded of my chat with Aphrodite a few months ago. "Because I captured Artemis, made her wield the sky, killed her hunters, oh, and not to mention, _I'm the daughter of a Titan_. What other reason do you want?"

"Don't take so much credit, sweetie. I know my sister's kidnapping was Atlas' doing, not yours. As for her hunters…I don't like what you did, but really it's none of my business. And honestly, I'm not really allowed to kill you unless you attack first." He cocked his head in admittance.

"So then what do you want?" I asked, shifting in my seat, only to wince out of pain.

"To help you out, of course. Just `cause my sister doesn't like you doesn't me I don't."

"But–I don't understand…You do realize that I'm fighting _against_ Olympus."

"Psh," he scoffed, waving the comment aside. "We'll sort that out later. I'm the god of bachelors sweetie. I'm always ready to help out a fine lass like yourself." His eyes scanned my body up and down as a laser in a grocery store. Suddenly self-conscious I wrapped my jacket tightly around me hiding any visible shape that my body had.

"So," he went on, disregarding my actions, "Let's take a look at that arm, shall we?"

Ignoring my constant retaliations, the god removed the jacket from my right arm and untied the bandage from my shoulder, causing me to wince. "Ouch," he said.

Ouch was right. The loose skin had folded in on itself underneath the bandage and I could feel my bone exposed to the cool air. Pus bubbled out of the gash as Apollo tapped the blue and black skin around it. Right next to the wound the skin was an ominous shade of yellow signifying the extreme damage.

"Percy sure can throw a punch," Apollo commented haphazardly.

I merely grunted and eyed my wound fearfully.

"Oh, don't worry about that," he waved a hand precariously over my shoulder and the wound vanished. The pus magically disappeared along with the bruising. The torn flesh receded to be replaced with fresh, pink skin.

I placed my left hand gingerly on the healed wound and was relieved to discover that it was not sore to the touch.

"Thanks," I whispered, bewildered. "But…why?" I looked up expectantly.

"You'll see," he explained. "You're a lot more useful than my family thinks you are. Just do what you have to, okay sweetie?"

Without a word I nodded in assertion and he vanished.

…

The next thing I knew the sun was slowly making its way over the horizon and the train was pulling to a stop. Yawning as quietly as I could I scanned my surroundings to see that we had landed in a small ski town of a sort.

From my perch in the Volkswagen all I could make out of the town was a small coffee shop, a grocery store, and a ratty gift shop.

A small ruckus further up the train signified that the quest group had departed into the town. Slouching down out of view I watched as they surveyed the town briefly then split up; some going into the coffee shop and some to the grocery store.

Making my move, I slipped out of the vehicle, slinked past the welcome sign, and ventured wearily through the town into the gift shop.

It reminded me of an abandoned junkyard with boxes stacked upon tables. Keeping my right arm on Bluefire I slowly made my way through the store, peering in the various boxes only to find old license plates and broken china dishes. As I approached the cash register I caught the gaze of an old man in a bright orange t-shirt, atop his curly mass of white hair sat a dirty baseball cap with a picture of a red tractor on it.

As I got closer he began to rise from his cheap leather chair and leaned over the countertop informatively. "Hello Miss. How can I help you today? Looking for a gift for someone? Perhaps a set of skis," he pointed to a stack of dirty old skis piled in the back. "Or perhaps a snow globe as a souvenir? Or…" He held up a finger, revealing callused, wrinkled hands. He vanished underneath the desk for a moment only to return seconds later carrying a rusty necklace with a gaudy jewel hanging loosely to the chain. He held it out to me excitedly, "A pretty necklace, for a pretty young girl like you," he winked.

His smile faded quickly as I shook my head disapprovingly. "Sorry, not today."

"Oh, well then how about–"

A simple rising of my index finger silenced him like it did to so many. "Just answer my questions, okay?"

Placing the necklace down on the desk he stared at me, seemingly taken aback by my authoritative demeanor. He nodded.

"Good," I smiled feebly. "Does this town have a taxi service of some sort, car rental, public transit, anything?"

"Sorry sweetie," he laughed, "We're just a little ski town, we got no transportation services for ya." His eyes narrowed in on my golden ones suspiciously, "How'd you get here anyway?"

"That's none of your business." Frustrated, I began to make my way out the door into the cold winter air when a familiar voice sounded behind me, not the old man but…

"Luke!" His form shimmered before me in some form of circular window of a sort; an Iris message.

"Rebecca, I'm so glad you're alright." I watched as the weight of worry lifted off his shoulders as his eyes focused in on me. Blue eyes…they were still blue. Not gold.

I couldn't help but cower as the terrorizing memories of my dream returned as clearly as they had been on the train. I opened my mouth to ask him about it but was interrupted by a voice on Luke's side.

"So you survived the museum, girly." Atlas came into view by Luke's side, as muscular and sweaty as usual.

"Atlas," I greeted him through clenched teeth. "And yeah, I'm right as rain."

"Good," the Titan sneered, "So why did you not return once–"

"They're not dead," I cut him off midsentence.

"What?" Both Atlas and Luke stepped so close to me that they almost broke the connection.

"Percy, Zoe, Thalia, they're all still alive," I explained.

"WHAT?" Atlas roared, "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?"

"Excuse me? If I remember correctly it was _you_ that said your men would take care of the matter. It was _never_ left as my charge. I waited outside that museum and let your pet do its job. It didn't fail, Atlas. You did! In fact, look who it is that's been following the fucking pack all the way to New Mexico to clean up your mess!"

"_You little_–" Atlas seemed just about ready to beat me to a pulp, and for that reason I was glad of my whereabouts.

"Atlas!" Luke stepped in the Titan's way and attempted to calm him down before turning back to me. "Look, Rebecca, I don't know what you're planning, but whatever you do stay away from Percy."

Rolling my eyes I assured him, "Luke, I'm a big girl, remember? I can take care of myself. Percy's no match for me," I lied.

"No! It's not Percy. It's…what Atlas sent after him," he seemed so worried I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine. His eyes were so pleading; those gorgeous blue eyes that would soon be gold. Luke would be Kronos; Kronos would be Luke; my lover and my father one in the same.

_Not yet!_ I reminded myself. _He's still Luke._

I nodded, "Okay." And the image faded.

"Who are you?" It was the old man. He had stepped out from behind the desk, without my knowledge, and was staring at me apprehensively.

_Shit_, I thought, _Forgot about him._

"No one of consequence," I winked and in one foul swipe of Bluefire, the store clerk lay dead on the floor.

I was carefully cleaning my blade on the inside of my jacket when a retching scream thundered across the small tow and into my ears.

With nothing better to do and no thought of an alternative, I raced out the door and through the town to the source of the screeching.

…

Four walking skeletons with shotguns. That's what I saw as I watched from the corner of an abandoned warehouse. They had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and the longer I watched them, the more I was sure that they were pursuing Percy.

The group of demigods seemed to be fairing pretty well, each of them fighting a skeleton one-on-one, while Grover sat, confused, on the ground. For a time they continued to slash at the monsters until Percy put a well-placed slash in the skeleton's ribcage and it crumbled to the ground. But just as it seemed that they were gaining an advantage, the skeleton reassembled and charged the son of Poseidon.

The next few minutes were filled with constant clashing of metal against bone, and the grotesque reassembling of the bones. For the longest time I merely stood there, watching from afar until my body did something that my mind could not comprehend. It was stupid, hasty, and completely out of line. But still. I found myself racing towards the battle, sword held high. The battle cry that resounded from my mouth echoed across the hillside and I found all eyes upon me as I slashed through one, two, three skeletons. I was just about to take out the fourth, who was quickly approaching on Bianca, when a voice just as powerful as mine own stopped me in my tracks.

"_Not so fast!_" Her sword tip was cold against the bare of my neck. I sighed and raised my hands reluctantly, Bluefire still gripped firmly. The fourth skeleton was barely a foot from Bianca, his blade poised to kill. But Bianca didn't notice; her eyes were fixed quizzically on my aggressor and me.

"Drop your sword, _now._" Her tone was not loud, but still affirmative beyond reckoning. But no matter her tone, my blade did not drop, nor did my gaze on the skeleton warrior. The other three were slowly reforming; even my multi-metal blade was no match for Atlas' minions. "I _said_, drop your sword!" The pressure of the blade on my neck increased.

The skeleton lunged at Bianca, his blade held high, but she continued to stare at me with interest. "Bianca, _look out!_" I shouted.

She spun swiftly on her heal, her hair flying backward, avoiding the skeleton's strike. In a flurry of panic she sliced at the skeleton with her hunting knife and it crumbled into dust.

A sigh of relief flooded through me, only to be frightened off be a force shoving Bluefire from my hand. "Ah," I winced as my wrist bent awkwardly.

"Who are you?" Came the voice behind me. "What do you want?"

The other skeletons were completely reassembled by then and without a second thought I froze the scene. The skeletons ceased to move; no birds sounded, no wind blew, it was only me. I quickly stepped away from my frozen aggressor and snatched my sword off the ground. As I stood up to unfreeze the group I realized just who my assailant was; Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, formerly Luke's friend. I could have killed her right there; tore her limb from limb for the confusion her had forced between Luke and I, but I didn't.

Taking a deep breath I released first Bianca, then Percy, Grover, Zoe, and then Thalia. They all stared at me.

"We don't have much time, so shut up and listen," I began.

Zoe sneered, "And why would I _ever_ listen to _you?"_

Thalia and Bianca looked at her quizzically, but she didn't need to speak a word.

"Rebecca Vise, daughter of Kronos," I explained with a light smile. "I just saved all of your asses, so don't you _dare_ try anything or I'll kill you where you stand."

"What do you want?" Thalia asked, the sudden realization of my identity seemed a worthy cause for her anger.

"I want to help you," I shrugged, though I had no idea of my intentions.

"Why?" Bianca and Zoe asked at once.

"Because without my help Atlas' little _friends _will kill you. I'm just the better option. Not to mention I know where your friends are being held."

No one spoke. For a long while the six of us merely stood there in the freezing cold, I could feel my limbs stiffening. I could not hold this scene much longer. Then a single, small voice broke the eerie silence.

"Okay," Percy nodded solemnly.

"_What?_ Percy," Thalia said, "You don't honestly _trust _her? She's–"

"_I know!_" Percy snapped. "But it's the only way we can help Annabeth," he turned to Zoe, "And Artemis."

And through those quickly said words a truce was formed. Each of them slowly gave their assent to my tagging along.

Bianca was the first to say, "You saved my life. I don't like to admit it, but I'm in your debt."

Then it was Zoe's turn, "You murdered countless hunters in the past. Thou are not worthy of trust, but I must save my lady."

I nodded courteously.

"Well," I noticed Grover for the first time; he had risen from the ground and was brushing grass off his jeans. "If you were gonna` kill us you would have done it already, right?"

I nodded.

"Then fine."

That left one. All eyes turned to Thalia; her sword held firm but invasive, and her terrifying shield at her side. "I don't trust you, and I never will, but I guess I have no choice but to let you tag along. But don't you _dare_ threaten me again." She pointed her blade towards my throat, "Or I'll throttle you in your sleep."

A malicious smile played across my lips like a raven flying through the heavens. "Well said, Thalia Grace, well said. The feeling's mutual," I winked.

…

The next few hours were the most tedious of my life. After slashing the skeletons to bits as best we could a strange noise protruded from the nearby woods.

"The blessing of the wild," Grover sighed, now fully alert, but still his normal, loopy, self.

"What?"

But he needn't say anymore, for at that moment a gigantic boar came ragging out of the woods, tusks flailing uncontrollably in every direction.

Immediately, the group of us made a run for it, the boar tearing the town to pieces behind us.

"What the Hades is that?" I asked as I ran aside Percy and Thalia.

"The Erymanthian Boar," Zoe explained as she and Bianca caught up with us. Glancing back I saw Bianca raise her bow to fire.

"No! Don't kill it!" Thalia warned.

Zoe snickered lightly, "I don't think we _can_ kill it."

"A blessing," Grover repeated dreamily.

"Yeah, I feel blessed," Percy joked, shooting me a sly smile before yelling, "Scatter!"

On his mark the six of us split up, Percy and Thalia racing up the hill, Zoe and Bianca down another hill, and Grover and I continued straight.

"You really think that monster's a blessing?" I asked, as my breath grew steadily heavier.

"Not a monster," Grover puffed. "We need to get on its back."

"_What?_" I dared a glance back only to find the boar fast approaching on us.

"Do you have any idea how fast boars travel?"

I thought the guy was nuts, but since I had no better ideas myself I decided to listen to him. "Whatever you say, goat boy."

He shot me a strange look at the nickname, an expression of which I could not place until much later; admiration.

So Grover cantered on at full speed as I ran a diagonal towards Percy and Thalia. "PERCY," I shouted across the hillside, "WE HAVE TO RIDE IT!"

Thalia shot me a ferocious look, mixed with hate and fear. "ARE YOU CRAZY?" She shouted back at me.

"IT WAS GROVER'S IDEA!" I took one last sprint towards them so that I ran just behind them.

"Can you freeze the boar in time?" Percy asked as we approached the edge of the hill, Thalia's face suddenly became extremely white.

I shook my head, "I'm already drained from before. We're gonna` have to catch up with it." I gestured for us to take a straight drop down the steep hill.

Thalia reminded me of a ghost. "No! That's way to steep," her voice shook fervently.

"Oh, come on! Have you guys never been tobogganing?" Without waiting for their reply I grabbed a hold of both Percy's and Thalia's wrists and threw them atop the back of Thalia's shield, then pushed them down the hill. As they gained speed rapidly I found a large chunk of scrap metal, probably from the ski town, and launched myself down after them, yelling excitedly.

The wind blew in my face and the snow framed the landscape in a pale shade of white, one that reminded me of the cold winter days spent as a child launching myself down the steepest slopes on wooden toboggans. I couldn't help but release a jubilant yell.

Looking past Percy and Thalia, clinging to each other for dear life, I spotted Grover and the hunters racing after the Boar. They gained on him with lightning speed and in no time, leaped upon his back.

"AIM FOR THE JUMP," I told the two in front of me.

They shot me apprehensive looks.

"LEAN TO THE SIDE AND YOU CAN TURN TO HIT THE JUMP," I spoke of a small hill at the base of the large one. "YOU'LL GAIN ENOUGH AIR TO JUMP ON HIS BACK!"

They nodded wearily, but did as I said. Moments later they were atop the galloping Boar and I was aiming my own sled at the launch-site. I hit the jump with phenomenal speed and flew towards the Boar. I hit his side with an intense impact, enough to daze me for a second. I felt myself slowly loosing grip on the animal, my toes skimmed the light layer of snow before a firm but smooth hand gripped my wrist to stop my fall. I shook the haze from my eyes and found the electric blue of the daughter of Zeus' eyes staring back at me.

"Thanks," I murmured at she hoisted me atop our ride.

"Don't mention it," Thalia replied just as quietly.


	27. Where Allegiance Lies

**Hey guys, thanks for being patient. I know it's been awhile since the previous chapter. Well life's been busy for me, just as it has for Rebecca's. So here's a fun chapter for ya. Took me awhile to get the flow of it, but w/e. R&R (the more reviews, the sooner I'll update it)****  
Enjoy!**

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Riding a giant boar is a lot like riding a horse. Never having ridden a horse in my life, I take the word of my companions, who, for the most part, had multiple experiences riding pegasi at camp. But if riding a horse was so much like this boar-riding thing, then it's definitely coming off of my bucket-list. After an hour or so I felt a slight twinge in my tailbone, after two my buttocks grew mostly numb, but once it reached the three, four, five hour mark my entire rear-end was in absolute agony, and my legs had lost most to all feeling. I tried sitting sidesaddle for a while, but I lost my balance and found myself clinging to Grover for support, so I resorted to the straddling the beast.

It was growing late when the pig finally pulled to a halt, and I slid thankfully to the ground, only to find it hard and dry as the Goby desert. By the time I got to my feet and brushed the dirt off of my pants the Boar was gone; run off to no doubt find food and water. I nagging urge to join him formed in my mind, to gorge on a large meal of scrumptious foods. How long had it been since I tasted the sweet texture of tender steak, or the juiciness of a peach, fresh from the tree? Even with my rank the army food was far from satisfactory, but even that tasteless stuff had not entered my system for days. I was drained of all energy.

"So." I asked after relieving my clothes of dirt and pig muck, "Where to now?

Thalia and Zoe glared at me maliciously, "Weren't _you_ suppose to tell us that?"

"Oh," it took everything for me not to drop my gaze. "Yeah, of course." I smiled halfheartedly, but the group did not seem convinced. Truthfully I had forgotten about that part of the deal. In return for me sharing their supplies and traveling with them I was to lead the way to Mt. Othrys. My reason for making this deal in the first place was beyond my reckoning. I could easily get back to base camp without their help, or was I actually going to kill them all?

_They deserve it,_ a small voice echoed in my mind, _They want you dead, they held you prisoner._ But another voice thought differently, _They were only protecting themselves, they didn't mean to hurt you. This is your chance to help others, to prove yourself trustworthy._

I wasn't sure who to listen to; it was my duty to destroy this group, especially Percy. But when it came down to it, could I deliver the final blow, or would I cower at the thought of it? I had killed many in the past few years and never thought better of it, so why would this be any different?

"West," I finally said, "We go west." I pointed into the vastness of a barren desert, with sandy hills in the distance.

Zoe looked at me skeptically, "And where exactly in the west are we going?"

Staring down at her through half-closed eyelids I mumbled angrily, "You'll find out when we get there."

"How do we know you're not leading us into a trap?" Thalia interrogated me.

"You're just going to have to trust me," I chided.

"Are you honestly–"

Thalia's retort was cut short by the oddest sight to behold in a barren desert. A black, stretch-limousine gleamed into existence some forty feet away and pulled to a stop right in front of Percy.

The moment the door opened my rage grew to the point that I could hardly restrain myself from throttling Thalia; there was only one person I knew who could condemn me to such emotions…

"Ares," Percy and I said in unison through clenched teeth.

He raised an eyebrow inquisitively at our reactions, "Well, well, well, isn't this a pleasant surprise." I had met the god of war once before in a rather similar predicament, when the same limousine pulled up to me in a desert and Aphrodite started making my life into a reality TV show of a sort. She had said that she would make Luke's and my story '_fun.'_

"What do you want, Ares?" Percy growled.

The god laughed roughly, "Oh, it's not what I want, kid, it's what the lady wants, you know."

I shot a glance at my companions to find them all either staring at the god maliciously or cowering at their feet.

"Percy," I jutted my chin in the boy's direction, "Do yourself a favor and don't listen to this lunatic."

"Do you long for pain that badly, girl?" Ares raised a large fist in my direction, adorned with a large black ring.

"No," I smiled sarcastically, "I prefer to be the one distributing it." My smile hardened into a stone-cold glare.

"Oh I would _so_ tear you to pieces you little–"

"Go ahead," I challenged him, "Give me your worst! Or are you still too afraid to get beat by a girl?"

"NO!" The god took a minute in vain attempt to suppress his temper. "Just get in the car, Jackson." Ares ordered Percy without even glancing towards him, and Percy obliged.

"So," Ares started on me once the car door slammed shut. "Let's see what you got." He began to roll up his sleeves and I drew my blade to match him before a felt a light hand on my left arm.

Re-sheathing my sword, I turned to see Bianca standing wearily beside me. "Are you honestly this stupid?" She asked quietly.

"What?"

"She asked," Thalia said firmly from a short distance, "If you're stupid enough to fight a god with no good cause to?"

Glaring at her I said, "Stay out of this Thalia, you wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't I?"

"No, you wouldn't! You have no idea what my life's like. So back off!"

Ares was watching us with an amused gaze now.

"Okay, fine! Fight him, get yourself killed, see if I care!"

"Thalia!" Grover interjected. "We need her."

"So?"

"So," it was Zoe that was beside me now, "As much as it pains me to say it, my lady's life is in her hands." Ignoring my presence Zoe turned to Ares. "Step down, Lord Ares, there is no fight here."

The god shrugged and resumed his original stance of leaning against the limousine.

And so at the worst moment imaginable, my old tattoo began to burn again. The pain on my shoulder was so great that I found myself lashing around on the ground in a constant stream of agony. My screams echoed across the desert landscape and over the rolling hills until it bounced back and rebounded into my ears.

As the pain soared through my retching body, as the symbol of my allegiance burned through my skin into view, the desert faded from my vision. I continued to feel my body lying helplessly in the sand, although I lay in a separate location. Through the spasms of pain I became aware of my surroundings.

Underneath me lay a bad of sharp tocks, as best I could tell in the darkness. The pain subsided enough for me to notice that the only source of light lay at a vast distance above me, through a small hole; the entrance to Tartarus.

A piercing cry emanated from my throat, but was caught once it reached my uvula, and would travel no further.

A deep voice resounded painfully in my ears in place of my scream

"IS THIS WHAT YOU WISH FOR REBECCA?"

"Father," I sighed, attempting to straighten out my aching body to no avail.

"DO YOU WISH FOR A FUTURE IN TARTARUS?" He spoke agitatedly.

"No, of course not!" I defended.

"THEN _WHY _ARE YOU DEFYING ME?" A gust of harsh wind pushed my face hard to the rocks.

"Father, listen to me. I know what I'm doing," a bitter rage found its way to my tone.

"YOU DEFY ME! YOU ARE TO LEAVE THEM THIS ISTANCE, YOU –"

"Father, just hear me out. I do have–"

"DON'T," he shouted, even more terrorizing than usual, "TRY TO UNDERMINE ME CHILD!"

"Kronos, just–"

"YOU DARE SPEAK MY NAME. THAT IS –"

"LISTEN TO ME!" I found myself shouting into the empty darkness.

My own voice echoed back at me.

Sighing I continued, choosing my next words with great care as to not upset the Titan. "I realize that you believe my actions untrustworthy and reckless, and you may be right. But I assure you that I have not revealed any information of our army to the half-bloods or the hunters. You have nothing to fear. I plan to separate from the group once I get the chance, but not before I attempt to separate them."

His cold, maniacal laughter filled the chasm, and then, "Fine then." The Titan's voice sounded alarmingly calm. "Follow the desert west, towards Mount Othrys. Soon you will find the god's trash deposit."

"A _junkyard?_" I cut in. "How–"

"DON'T test me child!" My shoulder burned painfully, silencing my thoughts from exiting my mouth. "When you reach this junkyard I will ensure that the group is separated."

"But–what if…" I stumbled over my words through the pain.

"DO YOU DOUBT ME?"

"N–no," I answered obediently and the pain slightly subsided. "I–"

"Then return to your world and ensure that the group reaches the junkyard. Do I have your word?"

"My word father."

"Then GO!"

And in a painful echo of his voice in my head I woke screaming. A moment passed and my shoulder returned to normal.

Becoming aware of my surroundings I found myself lying in the cold sand, my head supported by multitudes of blankets and pillows. Night had fallen and the limousine had long since vanished. A small fire cracked to my left and I turned to see Zoe and Bianca sitting by the warm glow, their bows armed and within reach.

Grabbing a blanket to shield myself from the cold night air I ventured over to the fire, my head throbbing.

As I sat there I felt the hard gazes of the others focus in on my. I let the silence drag on until I couldn't stand it any longer.

"It's a mark of my father," I explained, lifting my sleeve for them to view the freshly burned mark of the Watcher. Bianca seemed to grow weary as she gazed intently into the eye on my shoulder. "As is this," I took hold of the clock charm hanging from my neck.

"Does he contact you?" Zoe asked, cleaning her bow with a silver cloth.

"Occasionally," I answered simply, avoiding diving into great detail.

"Like just now?" Bianca joined in.

I nodded solemnly. And with that the conversation was over, so I ventured away from the fire. But no matter how long I laid there I could not manage unconsciousness. I was exhausted and hungry and confused, but above all I was afraid.

And so I laid in the sand, blanket covering my face from view and my shaking body from the cold night air. I was awake through all of the hunter's watch and I was awake when they woke Percy and Thalia for their turn, but I didn't dare offer help, I was loosing their trust quickly with that whole incident with my father. So I just remained hidden in my cocoon of blankets, pretending to sleep when I heard the half-blood's voices echo quietly through the crackling fire.

"She's slowing us down, Percy. Every waking moment we spend watching her, making sure she doesn't pull some dirty trick. I don't know why you trust her like you do, but I certainly don't," Thalia was obviously ranting of my accompanying them.

"I know you don't trust her, why would you? She's the daughter of a Titan that's trying to take over the world, but then again, she can't help who her father is, can she?"

Thalia's voice sounded almost unsteady, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Just that she didn't choose to have Kronos as her father, just like you and me. She was born into her abilities, she can't help that."

"I can't believe it," Thalia threw her arms in the air, "You're actually standing up for her. Tell me Percy, what has she _ever _done for you? Other than practically killing you on numerous occasions."

Then Percy mumbled something that I couldn't quite make out.

"Excuse me?" Thalia urged him.

"She saved my life, alright!" Percy snapped. "Well, at least she spared me."

"She did _what?_"

"Back at the museum Rebecca could've killed me. She had the chance, but she didn't take it."

"I thought you said you fought her off, but she managed to slice your arm."

"That wasn't completely true," Percy seemed almost embarrassed, but _why?_ If anyone should've been embarrassed it was me. My secret was out; Thalia now knew that I couldn't do it, she would use that against me. Perhaps they were right all along; my father, Atlas, Luke; I'm too soft. That's something that would have to change.

"I don't believe it," Thalia muttered.

"I know, right?"

"I'm serious, Percy. I don't believe you one bit!"

"_What?_ I'm not lying!"

"I don't know what she did to you, but she's evil Percy. Don't turn your back on her, not ever."

"You're just jealous," the boy mumbled.

"_Jealous? _Why would I be jealous of _her?_"

Percy's reply was short and simple, yet undeniably true. "Because she has Luke."

…

A few hours later it was Grover's and my turn on watch; a time of which nothing extravagant happened other than Grover cowering at my every move. The satyr really was obnoxious.

So after a few hours spent cleansing Bluefire of grime it was time to wake the others. Within moments we were all packed up and ready to go.

"So I take it we're still following _you_ then?" Thalia asked bitterly.

Ignoring her remark I motioned for the group to follow me east, where the junkyard of the gods was already in clear sight.

As we reached the peak of the next hill my eyes befell upon the most dreadful, yet spectacular sight. The junkyard was literally piles of old treasures, everything from gigantic refrigerators to a pair of golden underwear which I couldn't help but wonder how uncomfortable they would be to wear.

The group seemed amazed by the place; Bianca was enticed by a beautiful silver hairclip, which she picked up only for it to change into a hunter's bow. "Hey, it's just like Percy's sword," she remarked.

"Put it down," Zoe ordered. "We must not touch anything here."

"What do you mean?" Grover almost laughed. "Do you have any idea how much treasure there is here?"

"No," Thalia cut in, "Zoe's right. We shouldn't touch anything."

I nodded in agreement, but that was when I realized just why my father had led me here. It was clear what I had to do now; the hardest part was to actually do it without anyone noticing.

"Let's get going," I ushered them forward. "The sooner we get out of this place the better."

Zoe and Thalia looked at me skeptically, but continued forward anyways, keeping me in close sight.

As we walked on it seemed that no one was up for much of a conversation, so I took it upon myself to break the silence. "So…are we seriously going to go this whole trip with this trust issue thing?"

Thalia stared at me grudgingly and I couldn't help but think of what I heard Percy say last night. Perhaps she _was_ jealous of me.

"I take that as a yes," I sighed obnoxiously.

"You going to tell us where your army is?" Bianca asked after a gesture from her lieutenant.

I shook my head fervently.

"Oh," Bianca sulked.

There was minimal chatter for the rest of our voyage through the junkyard. We often stopped when an item of interest was spotted. I once caught sight of the most beautiful set of drakon earrings, but just as I began to make a move to grab them I was greeted with Thalia's strong hand blocking my path, "Don't even think about it."

My right hand reached for Bluefire, which hung as always from my hip, but I was stopped with an intrigued holler from Grover, "Hey guys, look at this!"

Thalia, Percy and I raced to meet Grover and the hunters. We were standing in front of a large bronze mound with years of rust coating the outer layer.

"What is it?" Percy asked inquisitively.

"I do not know," Zoe shook her head earnestly. They looked to me in unison.

_Yeah,_ I thought sarcastically, _of course I know what this huge bulk is!_ "Hey, don't look at me!" I threw my hand up surrendering.

"No matter what it is, we'll just have to go around it," Thalia inquired.

And so we did. It seemed like hours we'd been wandering the god's dump and we finally caught sight of the road.

"Thank the gods," Grover sighed.

And that's when a loud creaking sounded behind us. Freezing in our tracks the six of us carefully turned our heads to the premise of the noise.

"Holly shit," my jaw dropped as I laid eyes upon a gigantic metal robot. My body froze in place, I figured this must be how people felt when I froze them in time, except I could actually tell what was happening; I just couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"Um," Grover said dumfounded.

It seemed Percy was the only one who managed to keep his senses, for he shouted, "Scatter."

I couldn't even process where everyone else had gone for it seemed that the robot had a thing for tall redheads. With every reverberating footstep the robot drew closer in on me until I had to sprint to keep ahead of him. He took one more step not a foot behind me when a great gust of wind sent me flailing into a pile of junk. Rolling onto my back to keep an eye on the giant I drew Bluefire and sliced at the robot's ankle, but the strike barely left a scratch.

My attempt seemed to offend the robot nonetheless and he raised his foot to finish me off. I readied myself for the blow, but it never came.

Grover had begun to play his reed pipes while Thalia and the hunters worked to draw the robot away from me.

Percy, who had appeared in front of me, reached out a hand and helped me up.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"Don't mention it," he replied, but his eyes seemed fixed on my sword, as if he remembered the pain it inflicted.

"Percy," I snapped him out of his trance. "Worry about that later, worry about the giant robot now!"

He nodded.

"Let's go!"

Percy at my side, I raced towards the battle. It seemed that Grover's music had charmed the telephone lines into attacking the robot while Zoe and Bianca fired countless shots, attempting to find a chink in the armor. The robot was growing angry, but in no way weaker.

"Okay, so what's the plan here?" I asked, hopefully.

"Um…" Percy eyed the robot unbelievingly, "Can you freeze him?"

"In this state?" I gestured to my overall un-kept appearance, "Anyways, I'm not sure it works on automations."

Just then the robot let out a loud bellow and sent the satyr flying into a pile of junk.

"GROVER!" Percy yelled, racing to aid his friend.

"Percy," I made to stop him, but a large metal foot blocked my path. I looked up only to regret it, for the robot's big black eyes were fixed on me. "Uh…hi," with a curt wave I darted in the opposite direction when I felt a cold metal grip around my torso and I rose into the air.

Lashing with sword, fists and feet I tried to loosen the automation's grip to no avail. And without meaning to I began to shout, "LET GO OF ME YOU METAL FREAK! YOU FUCKING DICK I WILL–" Then I remembered something that I had shown Zoe and Bianca the previous night. I managed to free a hand as the grip around me tightened. I took hold of my necklace and focused on a pile of trash that we had passed on our way through the junkyard. The metal hurt against my skin. I felt a rib crack, maybe a muscle torn, a piece of metal puncture my thigh and then I lay in a pile of junk.

I could hear the robot's bellows of rage from afar and feel the ground shake as he chased the others, attempting to demolish them.

I was exhausted, starving, soar, my ribs scrapped my inners to the point in which I wanted to scream, but no air was left in my lungs. I don't know how long I lied there for, but in time the pounding caused by the robot ceased and the air was filled with shouts. A name, echoing across the wind, not mine, but…"Bianca!" But soon even those faded and now it was my turn.

It took ages to locate the pieces of the robot as they laid scattered through the junkyard, but soon I located the foot with a manhole. I don't know how I knew, but something urged me to open it.

Night had fallen once again, so it was difficult to truly make it out, but inside that broken robot lay a broken half-blood; Bianca di Angelo.


	28. Service to Kronos

**Well hello my lovely readers! I have to apologize greatly for the long wait, life's turning out to be pretty darn busy lately. So busy that I'm still yet to finish The Son of Neptune...Anyways this chapter has quite a few changes of POV, so if you don't like that...well, sorry.  
****So without further adieu, here's chapter 28!**

**P.S.**

**Anyone seen The Three Musketeers? Logan was AMAZING in it! okay, on with the story ;)**

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ADHD is a royal pain in the ass! They say all demigods (or demi-titans, as the case may be) suffer from it due to "natural battle instincts," but this crap about seeing too much and not too little doesn't tend to always apply. There are certain times when no matter how hard I try I can never seem to recall what perspired.

For instance, I remember finding Bianca, I stared in disbelief at the mutilated half-blood. Her face was blackened with electrocution marks. Her limbs were bloodied and crushed under the weight of the fallen automation. Her eyes were open, but no light of life was in them, they were as black as Hades himself. A faint line of dried blood drew from her mouth and nose, and the stench…

The smell of burning flesh reached my nostrils with the most repugnant odor yet to reach my senses.

Appalled, I let the latch fall shut and I sunk into the earth, letting myself drown in my thoughts.

A sense of failure swept over me. My intention was to separate one of them from the bulk of the group and then perhaps kill them, but I never wanted that to be Bianca. I don't know what it was about her, but whenever I set eyes upon her I couldn't help but be reminded of myself.

The next thing I knew I was back inside the robot with a single thought in mind; if I could speed up time to kill someone, then perhaps I could reverse time to bring them back.

It was risky, though. The energy it required to work could kill me, but that was a chance that I was willing to take.

Kneeling by Bianca's mutilated corpse, my legs scraped and ribs paining as the broken fragments jostled about, I began to chant.

The chanting was ominous and had an eerie tone to it, but I was completely unaware of where I was getting them from. They were ancient Greek, that I was sure of, but as to their premise, I had no idea. My heart pounding in my chest I laid a hand on Bianca's cold brow and felt the dried blood crumble beneath my fingertips.

At first nothing happened, the scene was silent, except for the gentle lull of my chants and my deepening breaths. Then as I continued in my words a strange sensation took hold of the situation. My heartbeat slowed to an alarming low and I began to feel a slight movement beneath my palms.

The aura of a new time illuminated there, a new life, a new chance, a new hope. And so my heart slowed even more, and as I opened my eyes I watched as the girl's cuts heal, the blood liquefied and ran back into her body, her life was reversing to allow her to live again.

But for this life there was a cost, and that price was mine to pay. My breathing grew raspy and I began to loose feeling in my limbs. As I fell to the ground I was forced to release my hold on Bianca. And as I took my last breath of life a single thought ran through my mind, a small prayer to hold onto; _Let me see Luke once again._

And then my world went blank.

…

(Bianca's POV)

I watched with low lids as the water streamed past to allow room for the ferry to cross the River Styx. The water was littered with high school diplomas, wedding bands, the odd rusted pocket watch; thousands–millions of lost hopes and dreams. I took a sorrowful look back at Charon, the ferryman, who still seemed pleased with the immense amount of drachmas I had given him for this passage. It was all I had left of the coins the hunters gave me. Turning back to the water I pulled a picture out from my pant-pocket and gazed at it longingly.

It had been taken some time ago when my mother was still alive. It showed Nico and I on either side of her, gleaming at the camera without a care in the world. Back then everything had been so easy; I never knew what would become of us. _Mother is long gone, _I thought miserably, _Now Nico's all alone._ A single tear streaked down my face as I let the picture fall into the murky waters and vanish.

Looking up from my perch I noticed that the crowd was growing restless; something at my feet was disturbing them.

"Hey," Charon called from the wheel, "What's goin` on over there?'

Searching the boat's deck for something forlorn my eyes fell upon the disturbing factor of this ride: me.

The silver fabric of the hunter's attire was fading from view, along with my legs. I felt like a mirage; I was on the boat, but my body was slowly fading from sight, as was the Underworld.

I could hear Charon hurrying towards me, but by the time he got there it was too late; I was gone.

I jolted upright, gasping for oxygen, only to be greeted with dry desert air.

I was laying in the maintenance hatch under the automation's foot, the metal cold against the bare skin of my midriff.

Groaning, I pulled myself into an upright position to find my body unscathed and free of any electrical burns. Glancing back I noticed that the wires I cut where still dismantled, my hair stood on end from the electricity, but I was perfectly fine.

_But how?_ I thought to myself. _I died…I was in the Underworld, so how…_

Then I noticed the limp form of Rebecca lying on the ground outside the robot.

Shocked, I clambered out of the hole and over to her. Her skin was as cold as ice and pale white. I pressed two fingers to her throat but couldn't find a pulse; no breath protruded from her lungs. She was dead.

…

(Luke's POV)

"I don't see why Kronos chose you. You are an incompetent, impertinent, little scoundrel!" Atlas fumed at me in the stateroom aboard the Princess Andromeda.

"Kronos chose me," I began with a spiteful tone in my voice, "Because he trusts me to complete the task as planned, and not to stray on my own path."

Atlas shot me a cold glare, "You drive my patience, boy. So let me ask you this then; _why_ did you refuse the offer if you are so sure of yourself?"

His words felt like a stab to my chest; a realization that by me refusing the Titan lord an answer I opened doors for criticism. It was true; I was completely sure of why Kronos had chosen me for the task, but I just wasn't sure if I wanted to take it. It wasn't just because of me, although I wasn't sure if I could withstand the pressure of the situation. It was because of her. I couldn't simply abandon Rebecca for a chance to overthrow my father. How often had she asked me why I fought against the gods? And how often had I refused her an answer? Now her father asked me to play a major part in this war, a part that I was to keep secret from everyone, Rebecca included, but how could I do that? It was hard enough to hide things from her. Every time I lied to her, or simply hid the truth it felt like part of me was locked in an impenetrable cage, thrashing and screaming to be let free, but would forever be trapped unless I let it out.

"Oh," Atlas said smugly when I didn't answer. "I see. This is why I do not trust the weight of this war on mere _children._"

Atlas: king of pissing me off. "_Children?_ Are you honestly called me and Rebecca _children?_"

Atlas rose his eyebrows haughtily, "So what if I am?"

"She is the daughter of Kronos, our lord. I have started this army from scratch. We have both more than earned our place in this war. Anyway, she has powers that you or I couldn't dream of having in our wildest imaginations. She is–"

"Not here!" The Titan cut me off. "Look around boy, your beloved is nowhere to be seen."

"You know why that is," I spat, beginning to loose my nerve.

"Oh yeah," he agreed, "She's off cleaning up her mess; killing a few half-bloods, to what end?"

"Those half-bloods are the most dangerous we have to face."

"And does she know not to kill Thalia? Does she know what lies in store for our campaign?"

"Of course she does!" I argued. "It was Rebecca and I who discovered the flaw in the prophecy."

"And does she know of your offer?"

My mouth went dry. I opened it and closed it multiple times, all the while attempting to form words, but it was no use. Rebecca had no idea what her father had asked me to do. She had followed me to the Styx and back again without the slightest explanation. Multiple times I had told myself that it would be obvious for her; her father needed a host, and I was the perfect candidate.

And that was my reason for remaining silent. I wanted to ask her before I accepted the deed, but couldn't bring myself to it. I had meant to talk to her when we returned from the Smithsonian, but then she left…

"Well," Atlas interjected on my thoughts. "Why don't we ask her about it right now?"

And before I could object, Atlas pulled out a drachma and began to whisper a prayer, which answered an unasked question of mine.

"Show me Rebecca Vise," the Titan ordered and a mist appeared in front of us, the sunlight gleaming through it. A moment passed and the image displayed a desert scene; piles of trash soared through the sand in every direction. In the centre of the frame lay a metal mound and beside it a girl with shortly cropped red hair. Her black attire was torn and dirty from not being washed, and her pale skin had turned a bloody red from the sun. I watched for a moment waiting, hoping that she would be okay, but nothing happened. She showed no sign of movement or breath left in her lungs. The coldness of a tear pierced my cheek as I came to realization that Rebecca was dead.

The image faded, but I could not muster the courage to look up at the Titan who loomed over me. Lip quivering, my mind wheeled through many thoughts. _She's gone…she's actually gone…What now? How am I to go on without her? She was so young…so full of life…What is there left now? Allegiance; that's all I have…service…Service to Kronos…_

That was it; I had made my decision.

…

(Bianca's POV)

"No," I breathed, appalled by the circumstances. She had obviously given her life to save my own, but why? "Rebecca," I spoke to her in vain, "Rebecca, wake up," I shook her violently but her limbs remained flaccid, and her body still. "_No!_" I grew infuriated; my hands shook in frustration and my breathing increased in rhythm. _You saved my life, twice now, I'm not going to let you die!_

My thoughts felt immensely powerful, as if by wishing for her survival it would become a reality. Part of me wanted to perform CPR on her, but I had never had any proper training. I was never told how to do it, yet somehow I felt that I had saved lives before…but how?

Eyes closed, I felt a sort of power rise from within me, merging in the air around me and fuming the setting with a red-hot glow. The sun seemed to stop mid-set to watch as I performed the impossible.

"Come on," I urged the power to increase and with all the will I had, I pressed a hand on Rebecca's chest, hoaxing life back into her veins. Suddenly her body shot into a rigid position, her chest raised slightly off the ground.

Startled, I flew my hands off and the scene went back to normal; the aura of my power gone.

…

(Rebecca's POV)

Only a few hours had passed since I awoke in the desert, but it felt like days. The minutes ticked by without the slightest care for my anticipation as I waited for Bianca to wake once more. She was not dead; it seemed death had taken a great enough toll on the two of us today, but she was exhausted.

I awoke to find her panting in a kneeling heap beside me. Her palms were hot and her face pale and clammy. Sweat dripped from her red-hot brow and when she looked at me she had this faraway look in her eyes that would not cease.

Thanking her, I urged her to follow me out of the junkyard and towards the road, where the rest of the group had obviously gone. But while they must have easily found a ride, a couple of scarred up girls with swords at their hips didn't make for the best hitchhikers. Night had long since fallen and there were next to no cars on the road, so we travelled on.

Soon after we located a rundown gas station. The pumps had long since worked, but there were few signs of vandalism; the perfect place for two banged up demigods to crash.

I was exhausted, but Bianca looked in even worse shape than me, so I took first watch.

With my help she quickly produced sleeping supplies from her pack same as the night before, and fell fast asleep.

While she rested I found myself pacing as I stared out the window into the night. The stars shone so brightly I could almost feel their warmth upon my skin. The moon though, was far from sight. I knew this was a sign of Artemis' weakening state; a state caused by my orders.

_Stop it! _A voice came from within my thoughts; a deep voice that could only be one empowering embodiment.

_What are you doing? You're growing soft,_ my father accused me._ You take on this quest like you and Percy are on the same side. You're blinded, Rebecca! The gods are the enemy, Percy Jackson is the enemy._

_Is that so? _I asked him, foolhardily.

_It is._

_And why is that, dad? How do you know that we are not the ones making the mistake?_

_Do you DOUBT me? _He threatened.

_Maybe I do… So what?_

_You will regret this, Rebecca. You will look back on what you have done, what you are doing, and you will regret it._

_I already do,_ I thought without meaning to.

_Good._

It seemed that my life was near to normal again, I was just a typical fifteen-year-old girl fighting with her father. Although I didn't suspect that too many girls my age found themselves fighting for the downfall of Western civilization.

As much as I wanted to disagree with my father and fight on the opposite side I couldn't shake the thought that maybe he was right. Maybe it was better that I just go along with him and disregard what others may feel. Nothing else mattered in the world; nothing but my father coming back to power, and that was what I was to devote my undivided attention to achieving, even if it meant abandoning my wishes.


	29. Fate's a Funny Thing

**Apologies for my tardiness. What with teachers packing on the work, and bustle of Christmas, oh and not to mention the copious amount of swimming I've been doing :P Anywho, here's the next chapter for you. So enjoy, and have a very Merry Christmas!**

P.S. if you haven't already, take a listen to Bieber's x-mas cd. It's pretty great if I do say so myself

* * *

It was morning by the time Bianca woke. She apologized and said that I should have woken her, but I didn't say much in reply. What good would it have done? I would never have been able to get to sleep anyways, what with all the horrid thoughts swarming in my head. I was falling, falling so deep with no way of climbing back up again. There was only the thought of helping my father rise from his abyss. Maybe then he could pull me from mine…It seemed that no one else would.

"Thank you," Bianca was the first to break the echoing silence as we packed camp.

"Excuse me?" I asked lightly, unwilling to comprehend what I was hearing. Never in my life had I been thanked before.

"You saved my life. The least I can do is thank you for it," she looked up at me from her pack.

Avoiding her jet-black gaze I unsheathed Bluefire and began to polish its long multi-metal blade. "Yeah…well you were quick to return the favour."

For a moment we were silent, preoccupying ourselves with individual tasks.

"Why'd you do it?"

"What?" My head shot up like an antelope fearing a lion attack.

"You must've had a reason for helping me; first in New Mexico, then in the Junkyard. I just want to know."

"Oh," I sighed. How could I possibly explain something to this girl that I barely knew that I didn't understand myself? _I could tell her the truth,_ I thought. _Explain how whenever I looked at her I saw the same lonely, unwanted girl that I had seen in myself at her age._ But I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I lied. "I don't know." Leaning towards her, elbows on knees, I looked the daughter of Hades directly in the eyes, "It was my duty to exterminate all of you, those were my orders. However I know who you are, Bianca. I am probably one of the only people aware of just how powerful you are."

The expression on the girl's face was of pure disbelief. She ceased packing her bag and sat slumped on the floor, staring at me. Then her hung jaw seemed to find its place again. "What do you mean? What powers?"

"Like bringing me back. You're a half-blood, Bianca. The child of a–"

"I _know_ what I am," she snapped, but immediately replaced her tone with a lighter one. "I mean…I know that I'm a half-blood, but I just…"

"You don't know who your parent is," I finished for her. "I know the feeling."

For the longest time we sat in silence, neither willing to intrude upon the other's thoughts. But it came to the point when I couldn't take the stillness any longer.

Standing up suddenly I sheathed Bluefire and said, "We'd better get going if we have any hope of keeping up with Percy."

Without any word of reply Bianca slung on her pack and followed me out to the road. We walked in silence, the cold wind nipping at out untamed skin and drying out already-parched throats. I was still tired from the previous day and lack of sleep, but I didn't show it, mere adrenaline kept me on my feet. I kept a steady pace, my eyes focused in the distance. Bianca made no attempt at small talk, though I knew she was pondering her heritage. _Why doesn't she simply ask me who her father is? Does she already know? Or does she fear my response?_

It was nearing midday when the sound of a passing vehicle intercepted our solidity.

Catching the driver's gaze I immediately saw he had no intension of stopping for us, so I just had to make him.

Stepping into the centre of the road I focused my attention on the SUV and raised a hand to channel my powers towards it. The look of fear was paralyzed on the man's face as he and his vehicle froze in time.

On my mark Bianca raced over to the truck and together we lifted the driver out of the SUV. In a single instant I released time from my clutches and the vehicle reared to life as well as the man. But before he had a chance to stop us we were speeding along the highway, me behind the wheel.

After a good ten minutes of me almost dosing off a few times and a close call with a transport truck we decided it was best for Bianca to take the wheel. So for the next hour or so I was finally allowed some sleep. I didn't dream though, heck, it felt more like reality was a dream as I found myself sleep walking to change transportation methods. But somehow in my wakeless travel Bianca and I found ourselves in a rather odd location; Hoover Dam. Neither of us knew why we had chosen to stop here, or even the exact route we had taken to get here; it just seemed right.

It only took a brief glance inside the dam cafeteria to realize just how right we were. The walls, ceiling, booths, tables; everything was covered in a thick layer of food.

"A food fight?" Bianca seemed appalled by the state of the place. "_This_ was Percy's great idea? Set the civilians in an uproar with a food fight?"

Scanning the area for anything nonhuman I breathed, "I guess so. Whatever it was for, it looks like it worked. I don't see them anywhere."

"Me neither," Bianca agreed.

"Best check the place out anyways, just to be sure," I stated, already speeding down the corridors packed with tourists. Security men were working to clear everyone away from the wrecked cafeteria, and out the front doors so that maintenance could do their job, but we managed to slip past them without question.

As we neared the end of the corridor without the slightest evidence of demigods a tour group emerged from the elevator closer to the entrance. The group hastened towards the lobby without the slightest notice of us. Except for a single girl who with a slight jerk of her head spotted Bianca and I and stopped in her tracks.

The girl had bright, curly red hair and penetrating green eyes. She watched us for a moment, studying our appearance. He gaze lingered wearily at my hip as if she was worried I would slash her to pieces with my sword. _But that's impossible,_ I told myself. _She can't see it, she's mortal, and the mist will disguise it as a purse or something._ But her gaze remained and with a curious glare forming in her eyes she made her way over to us.

"Who's she?" Bianca's breath felt oddly cold on my neck as she stood beside me, bow already drawn.

"Looking for someone?" The redhead girl asked smugly as she drew closer.

Neither Bianca nor I answered. My hand shot to Bluefire's hilt, ready to draw the weapon at any second.

"Percy, I think was his name," she recalled, placing a hand on her hip.

Bianca shot a weary glance at me before asking her, "How do you know that?"

"Well," the redhead laughed, "You guys don't exactly blend in around here."

"What are you talking about?" I snapped.

Humor turned to shock as she realized that I was not in the mood to mess around. "I just mean you don't exactly look like tourists." Her gaze drifted again to my sword.

"Are you telling me that you see this?" I lifted my sword slightly out of its sheath.

"Yeah," she answered smugly, "Why wouldn't I?"

"The mist…" Bianca's and my eyes met as she whispered what we were both thinking. "Shouldn't the mist be hiding our…Greek stuff?"

I nodded before quickly turning back to the girl, drawing Bluefire from its sheath and pointing the tip at her throat. "Who are you?" I ordered.

Hands flailing up in the air she screamed, "Are you _insane?_ What are you doing? Anyways, if that sword's anything like the other guy's it can't hurt me, watch–"

Before she got the chance to grab my blade I swung it around so the flat end pressed hard to her throat. "This sword's not _like_ his though," I assured her. "This one can and _will_ cut your pretty little neck if you don't answer my questions."

"Okay, okay!" She shouted. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Removing my blade I spoke in mock-happiness, "Good, so we have an understanding."

"Who are you?" Bianca asked her before I could. Her tone wasn't harsh; it was more mystified at this girl's abilities.

"My name's Rachel," she swallowed hard, staring agitatedly at my blade. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

"How can you see through the mist?" I asked, though her look told me that she hadn't the slightest idea what I was talking about.

"The…mist–look, I just came here for some sight-seeing. Your friend s–"

"Percy Jackson is _not_ my friend," I stepped towards her threateningly, Bluefire slightly raised.

"Okay," she surrendered, "Sorry. But anyways, he just came running at me, sword flailing."

"What did he want?"

"He was running from something…These_ skeletons_…they were chasing him and –"

"'Skeletons?'" Bianca asked wearily.

"Yeah," Rachel replied obediently. "Why, do you–"

But at that moment the elevators opened once more and the ominous chattering of the skeleton warriors filled the hall.

"Run," I ordered, racing back towards the entrance, past the skeletons and into the crowd. Bianca and Rachel followed close behind me.

As we made our way hurriedly through the crowd Rachel caught up to me and asked, "What are those things?"

"Isn't it obvious," I said. "Skeleton warriors, brought back by a…_friend _of mine. They were suppose to be hunting Percy, but it seems they got caught up here and haven't found his trail yet."

I felt her bewildered gaze on my face, but continued forward, trying to evade the warriors.

"A _friend_ of yours brought those thing back? What kind of a–"

"_Shush!_" Bianca ordered her. I couldn't help but smile at her authoritative manner. "We can't keep running from them. I'm the only one that can kill those things."

"Bianca, they could kill you. It's too risky."

Taking a harsh step ahead of me she stopped me in my tracks. "Look, I'm glad that you saved my life and all, but I don't take orders from you. I'm going to go kill those bastards whether you like it or not." With that she stormed off into the crowd, in the direction of which we came.

"Oh wow," Rachel exclaimed.

"Listen, if you breath a word of this to anyone I will hunt you down and kill you in your sleep." Her green eyes shot open as she stared at me fearfully. "Do you understand?"

As she bent her head slightly down in a nod of assurance I made my way to follow Bianca.

Any thought of exhaustion vanished from my mind as I frantically pushed through the tourists dispersing from the dam. On a rush of adrenaline I pushed past various security guards, in search of Bianca. The moment I spotted her Bluefire flew out of its sheath and my legs carried my body stealthily towards her. It wasn't until I was at her side that I realized the true jeopardy of the situation. We were outnumbered two to eight, and our opponents had the uncanny assistance of already being dead; we were at a major disadvantage.

"You ready for this?" I asked Bianca, back facing hers as if we had fought together for a long time.

"Of course I am, she scoffed, unsheathing her dagger. "Are you?"

Emitting a forceful laugh I smiled, "You bet," before charging the nearest soldier.

Luckily the skeletons had abandoned their rifles in exchange for Greek swords; otherwise I would have been blown to bits. Instead I crossed blades with three other swords. Whipping my blade around I ducked beneath the middle soldier forcing them to face away from Bianca. For a moment I stood there, sword raised, waiting for an attack, but it never came. "Come on!" I shouted, slashing off the nearest soldier's head, but they remained still.

Behind them Bianca was fighting a heated battle of her own. The other four skeletons were on her like lions on an antelope, constantly thrashing at her, but hesitant of her blade. It seemed they had learned from their companion's ignorance. They had no issues attacking Bianca as if she was the prey they were stalking, but they didn't dare cross me. It seemed that my allegiance with Atlas earned me a green card with these mindless soldiers.

"I don't even _like_ the damn Titan," I pleaded, attempting to gain their attention, but the three skeletons merely turned around and thrashed their blades at Bianca. In the flurry of swords Bianca jabbed her hunting knife into the middle skeleton's neck, sending him crumbling to the ground in a rain of dust.

_Two down,_ _seven to go,_ I thought. _Now if only I could kill the damn things._ Even though I had no way to hurt them I was determined to keep Bianca alive. So as the soldiers were busy circling the huntress I did my best to slow them down by slicing them to pieces. They were quick to reassemble, but it was all I could do to preoccupy them.

"It's no use Rebecca," Bianca shouted between dodging various blades. It was the first time she had called me by name and I was surprised by the casualness in which she spoke.

"What?" Was all I could muster.

"They won't fight you, and only I can kill them," she noted, parrying a sword skillfully with her knife and sending her blade plummeting into the skeleton's ribs. As it dissolved Bianca shouted, "Just go, find Percy. Do whatever you have to. I'll be fine."

What she didn't know was that I already saw her future, and I saw just how not fine she would be.

"Fine," I said simply as the skeletons narrowed in on Bianca. "I'll go." Turning briskly on my heel I bolted back the way we came through the dispersing crowd.

My heart pounded in my chest as I searched the parking lot for the right car. It couldn't be that hard to find, although I hadn't seen one since I arrived at camp I recognized the stretch limo the second it came into view.

The engine had just reared to life when I reached the car and frantically banged on the window. Small movements shadowed through the tinted windows and the engine stopped.

Stepping back from the door it flew open and out climbed Rachel Dare with her curly red locks.

"I haven't told anyone, I swear," she whispered.

It took me a moment to realize what exactly she was talking about, but then I replied with a snappy, "I know you didn't. Just shut your mouth and do exactly as I say."

Raising her eyebrows starkly Rachel retorted, "Or what? You gonna` kill me with that sword of yours? You know what I think? I think you're _bluffing_." She poked a harsh finger on my chest.

"_Don't_ touch me," I warned her, shoving her hand back at her. "I'm _not_ bluffing and _you're_ just going to have to trust me, _okay?_"

I don't know if she actually trusted me, or if she was just scared out of her wits, but no matter what she nodded, "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

Through a crooked smile I explained she needed to save Bianca, because I couldn't. I needed to be somewhere else, although I didn't dare tell her where, and I couldn't risk taking Bianca with me.

Handing her a single drachma I explained, "Once you've lost the skeletons give this to Bianca. Tell her to contact me the day of the solstice. Got it?"

"I think so," the mortal girl nodded.

"Good. Now go!" I ordered. "Go!"

Unsure of her steps Rachel frantically ran to help Bianca, but before she got too far I stopped her in her tracks. "Rachel! I don't like you, but I have a feeling our paths will cross again."

"What makes you so sure?" She asked almost playfully.

"Don't know," I shrugged, slowly backing away from the limo. "Just a hunch." With that I turned away from that strange girl and prayed that my plan would work. Bianca would live and I would gain my father's trust back. All would end well.


	30. The Beginning of The End

**My gods guys it's been awhile! Sorry, between holidays, exams, extra-curriculars, and not to mention, writer's block**, **it took awhile to write this one. So anyways, here ya go! It might seem kinda choppy at points, but hope you like it nonetheless! :D**

* * *

It was the day of the winter solstice and the Princess Andromeda still hadn't reached San Francisco. Sure. I wasn't as far away as I was before, but I still had no hope of reaching mount Othrys before Percy.

When I left Bianca at the dam I had hoped it would give me a chance to catch up with the group, but all it did was tire me out from using my necklace and gave me a bad case of seasickness.

_It was a mistake to trust Rachel,_ I thought as I stared intently at my rugged appearance in the underbelly of the ship. _Bianca could be dead now._

I don't know what I was thinking at Hoover Dam; I was tired, weak, and wasn't thinking straight. Now I was stuck aboard Luke's demon cruise ship and Bianca's life was left in the hands of a mortal.

"What's wrong with me?" I groaned as I fell back on a bed. I already slept far past my maximum, but there was so much pressure weighing me down that all I wanted to do was fall into a deep sleep of which I would never wake. But I couldn't; there was too much to do and too little time.

Growing impatient I snatched a drachma from the nearest monster I could find and quickly made a sort of rainbow in the sink.

"Show me the ruins of Mount Othrys," I ordered the image and was greeted with the last person I wanted to see: Atlas.

He sat in the throne room, his large bulk covering the golden chair.

"Rebecca," he cheered with mock greeting. "So glad to see you're alright," he smiled crookedly as if he was hiding something, but I was in no mood to hoax an explanation out of the General.

"What are you doing on my father's throne?" I sneered.

"Oh, simply taking my place in this war," he continued with his toothy grin.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "Since when is that _your_ place?"

"Since I realized the truth of the matter," he readjusted his robes so that his legs were covered from the cold.

"And that would be?"

"That Kronos is not coming back," he said simply.

"_What?_"

"Oh, don't act so ignorant, Rebecca. You know as well as I that Luke does not have what it takes to host the Titan Lord. Well, perhaps now that he thinks you're dead…" Atlas trailed off in wonder.

"What are you talking about?" My tone grew harsh as the Titan's words sunk in. "You better start making sense Atlas, or–"

"Or _what?_" He chided. "What on earth can you do to me, _girl?_"

Glowering at the Titan I managed a total of two words, "Where's Luke?"

"He's around," Atlas laughed, "But far too busy to talk to you."

"Tell me where he is you son of a bitch –"

"Uh-uh-uh," he stopped me, wagging his meaty finger back and forth. "Watch your temper Rebecca, it could get you seriously hurt someday."

"You honestly think I give a crap–" Before I completely exploded I closed my eyes in attempt to gather my emotions, not because Atlas told me to, but because my father needed me to. "Is Percy there yet?"

"No," he yawned. "No doubt it won't be long until he is though. Especially with you hunting him down."

"With me–Whatever Atlas. Just be weary when he comes. We're on our way and will be there soon."

"I appreciate your concern," he said, "But I'm sure I can handle a few demigods just fine, I am a _god_ after all." And with one last cocky tilt of the head Atlas severed the connection.

In a fit of rage I sent my fist smashing through the bathroom mirror and into the inner cupboard. "That fucking ass," I roared, unintentionally snapping the sink's piping by hitting the side with my palms. _Why wouldn't he let me speak with Luke? And what did he mean by saying he thought I was dead? Was he lying, or did Luke, by chance, see me in the desert? If so, did he see Bianca? Will he interrogate me about her? Oh gods, he's gonna` kill her, and it will all me by fault. That is, if she's not dead already._

"No!" I shook my head violently, attempting to vanish those horrible thoughts from my mind. I had to get to San Francisco, and I had to get there fast!

…

It seems that somewhere between worrying about Luke and plotting Atlas' downfall I fell into a long awaited, and greatly needed, sleep. In my dream I was exactly where I needed to be: atop Mount Othrys. Luke was having a heated discussion with Atlas in the throne room, doors guarded by Scythian dracaena. His hand hung habitually on Backbiter's hilt as Atlas drew close to him.

"This is _not_ what I bargained for," Luke spat in the Titan's face. "Annabeth has nothing to do with this. We have Artemis, why not let her go?"

"Oh how naive you are, boy," Atlas shook his head disappointedly. "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" He pushed his shaggy bangs out from his face like he always does when upset.

"She's the bait, boy. The bait to get both Percy and Thalia here."

Luke didn't reply, but simply stared at Atlas, waiting for him to continue.

"Think boy, if Thalia kills the monster, she will become so powerful that not even the gods can stop her."

"You intend to force the prophecy upon her?"

"Yes," Atlas sneered, "She is, after all, a child of Zeus. If Percy will not join us, then Thalia shall in his stead."

"A single choice shall end his days," Luke mumbled so quietly I could hardly hear him.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," Luke shook his head, but I could see the idea forming in his mind. He knew something; something about the great prophecy, something that he wasn't saying.

One thing I was sure; no matter how much Atlas tried, he would never thwart the prophecy to his liking, it could never be Thalia.

Atlas seemed to notice it, same as I, but at that moment the conversation was ended by a panting demigod racing into the room. "Lord Atlas, Lord Atlas!"

"What is it?" The Titan spat.

"They're here," the boy breathed, "The Percy and Thalia are here."

"And Thorn? The creature?"

"I don't know," the boy shook his head. "They're gone."

"AHHHH!" Atlas roared, sending bricks that had just been put up, tumbling down.

"Go get the prisoner," Luke ordered the boy in a calm tone. "Let's go meet our _guests_." And with a crooked smile, Luke made his way out the doors, followed closely behind by Atlas.

I wanted to follow them, I wanted to see the look on Percy's smug little face when he saw Annabeth weak and helpless, but a nagging sensation at my shoulder sent me elsewhere.

I awoke to a girl shaking my arm. The moment my eyes opened she sunk back into the corner of the room; terrified. I studied her face for a moment, but I had never seen her before. That seemed to be happening a lot; we would get one slew of demigods, only to have them replaced soon after by new ones. One thing I had come to learn about demigods; to gods, we're as disposable as a tissue.

"Well…what is it?" I asked her in an agitated tone.

"We are almost there, Milady. We are almost at Mount Othrys."

Quickly snatching up Bluefire from the floor I raced up the stairs to the ship's deck. There I found Agrius and Oreius manning the wheel, veering the ship slowly in towards the mainland.

_Finally, _I thought, _San Francisco_.

"How long until we make port?" I asked the bear-like men.

"About half an hour, my lady," Oreius answered with a nod towards the sea. "Unless we get bad water on the way in."

Turning my head sharply towards the monster I asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's just…" Oreius began.

"Due to the purpose of our vessel…" Agrius continued.

"The gods might make things…"

"Difficult…"

"_Stop it!_" I screamed, ears ringing from their blabbering. "I get it. Well we'll just have to hope we go unnoticed for the time being. But just to be sure…" An idea in mind, I quickly made my way out to the main deck. "All demigods, to me!" I shouted over the rustle of commotion, but was heard with no difficulty. There were about two-dozen demigods aboard, and all of them gathered together within five minutes. "All of you; say a prayer to my father will you?"

"Excuse me?" Someone from near the front asked, confused.

Without thought, I approached the source of the voice and raised my sword to the half-blood's throat. "Are you defying my orders?" I asked menacingly.

"I–no, miss…I was simply wondering wh–"

"Take him to the drakon," I ordered the nearest dracaena guards, and they carried the boy away kicking and screaming. "Anymore oppositions?"

No answer.

"Good." Assured that no half-blood would allow their mind to wander to their divine parent, and therefore give away out position, I went back to Agrius and Oreius, who both had their eyes set on the slowly approaching mainland.

The entire time I kept my eyes on the mountain, it's peek hidden within the clouds, but I knew what was up there. Luke and Atlas would be confronting Percy that very minute, whether it would end in a battle and bloodshed, or a few more men on our side.

It turned out to take almost an hour to reach port, but as soon as we did I set forth my orders.

"You two, assemble the men and march them up the mountain," I ordered Agrius and Oreius.

"Where are you going, miss?"

"I'll be at the top, of course, awaiting your arrival." With that I raced from the boat, leaped onto the dock, and ran as fast as I could up the mountain.

Now, I'm not an idiot to simply run all the way up the mountain. I simply hot-wired an impala stationed in the parking lot and made haste up the mountain. Soon enough I found myself zooming through the garden of the Hesperides, and towards the partially built castle, but when I stepped out of the car no one was there. But it wasn't long until I heard the clash of swords near the peak, where the sky touched the earth.

Unsheathing Bluefire I dashed over to the source of the commotion and found something that I did not foresee. Percy and his gang were there all right, but we did not have the upper hand over them as well as I thought. Annabeth was slowly making her way out of her bindings as Artemis fought off Atlas, and Thalia crossed blades with Luke. I spotted Zoe Nightshade lying in a heap against a mound of rocks, her side bleeding profusely, and Percy struggled under the weight of the sky.

As I ran over to the fight Artemis flew Atlas towards Percy, and before he knew it, Atlas was trapped once again. Thalia was fast approaching on Luke, slowly pushing him towards the edge of the cliff, I had to stop her, but I could never reach them in time.

"Drop your weapons!" I shouted over the mountaintop. Annabeth, who had finally freed herself, was yet to turn to me before I brought my blade around her neck, pressing the metal into her soft skin. "Drop your weapons, or she dies," I repeated.

All eyes turned to me. I could have sworn Artemis was going to throttle me where I stood, but she merely nodded, and let her silver bow and quiver of arrows drop to the ground.

"Let me go," Annabeth pleaded, her chest pounding in my grip.

"Shut up," I spat in her ear, tightening my grip on her neck.

Over at the edge of the cliff Thalia took little notice of me, but I could see Percy attempting to stop her.

"Rebecca?" I saw, more than heard, Luke mutter in disbelief, just before Thalia sent one final flailing kick at him, sending him tumbling off the mountainside.

_Luke!_ I wanted to scream out, reassure him that it would be all right, that I loved him, but I didn't.

A smug look on her face, Thalia slowly made her way towards me, shield and sword at the ready.

"Take one more step and I'll slit her throat," I threatened the demigods.

"Rebecca, please," Percy pleaded, slowly lowering Riptide. "You don't have to do this."

"Oh, stop it Percy!" Thalia snapped. "She's just like her father, she'll kill anyone who gets in her way of power."

"You're one to talk, Thalia," I laughed. "You just threw Luke, your _friend_, off a mountain, and to what end? So you don't have to look at him again. Because you can't face him again, and you know it. You can't face the fact that he turned on you, and in the process, found _me._ He left you for dead, that day you came to camp, and he never looked back."

"Shut up!" Thalia screamed.

"He never cared about you. And now look at you, all alone, forgotten, unloved, unwanted…You might as well _be_ dead. Ha! As far as Luke is concerned, you are."

"I told you to shut up!" Thalia screamed and charged on me. Shoving Annabeth aside I parried Thalia's blow with Bluefire.

"Easy girl," I laughed, "You gotta` learn to control your temper there."

"Speak for yourself," Thalia retorted, sending another blow towards my other side, which I easily blocked and disengaged. Out of the corner of my eye I watched Percy gather Annabeth and lead her over to the rocks where Artemis sat with Zoe.

Hatred rearing in her eyes, she lunged out at me, but I simply stepped aside and let her pass.

"You've gotten sloppy from that time as a tree," I remarked. "Luke said you were a great warrior once, what ever happened? Did you loose faith in yourself?"

"Stop it!" She roared, charging me again, but this time I intercepted her blade and drew her in close so that my mouth was at her ear.

"You're all alone Thalia. You lost Luke, and then you lost Annabeth, the very people you swore to protect."

"How did you–"

"You can tell a lot about a person by looking in their eyes," I laughed.

"Well you're wrong," Thalia drew away and began sending blow after slash on me, all of which I blocked with ease, and at one point I managed to draw blood from her side.

"I'm always right, Thalia. That's what makes me special."

"Annabeth's safe. And soon enough we'll all be out of here, and you'll be dead, just like Luke," she threatened.

"You really don't get it, do you?" I asked, slicing her shoulder and cheek. "You hear that?" I paused for a moment, my blade at her throat and our ears filled with the sound of my army racing up the mountain. "They'll be here soon enough. None of you will make it out alive."

"Is that a promise?" She asked, parrying my blade with hers. And at that moment we were interrupted by shooting, but not from down the mountain. Up above the mountain, almost hidden in the clouds flew some sort of airplane, seemingly from the war, but I couldn't tell which one. The pilot was screaming like a raving lunatic as he shot down at my men.

"What the–"

"You're not the only one with back up, Rebecca."

In my foolishness, I lost view of Thalia and she sent me tumbling to the ground, my head throbbing from the butt of her sword thrashing against my skull.

By the time I awoke from my daze most of the army was up the hill, and my enemies were flying off, alive. In my anger I couldn't help but let out a blood-curdling scream of pure rage and hatred. "NOOOOOOO!"

…

For days afterwards my father tortured me for my failure with nightmares, and my shoulder was in constant agony. I tried to ask for his forgiveness, I even came to the point of begging, but nothing helped. He kept saying that all his plans rested with Luke now, I would not be part of them. Any ordinary girl would take this as a hint to leave, runaway, anything but stay, but not me. I kept my position of authority over the army, even though it wasn't official, they were all too afraid to undermine my orders.

I had gone to see Atlas only once since he was forced back to his place under the sky, and that was only after his constant roaring across the mountain at me, and sending death threats via frightened half-bloods.

"What do you want, Atlas?" I asked, the day I went to see him.

"Stop acting so ignorant," he snapped, "I want out of this!" His bellows echoed across the mountain, and many turned to see what was happening, but I merely yawned.

"Ah, the sky, I see. And what exactly do you expect me to do about it?"

"Get someone to take it from me, of course!"

"Like who?" I scoffed. "My half-blood's? It would kill them, and if not, they would be _far _too weak to fight properly. And what monster can match the strength of a god, might I ask? No, Atlas, there is no one to take your place."

With that I made to take my leave, but as soon as I turned my back on the Titan he made a suggestion. "And what about you? You are far more powerful than any demigod or monster here."

"Your flattery won't work on _me_ Atlas. I would not _dare_ take the weight. For where would Perseus be without me to fight? And then there's the factor of a leader, of which you weren't anywhere near suitable for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an army to lead to victory. We'll talk again when Olympus is taken, okay?" Giving him a mock smile I left Atlas to his curse.

It wasn't until the next day that I got the chance to visit Luke again, who was still recovering in the infirmary. The fall had not hurt him physically at all, due to the power of the Styx, but mentally he was exhausted, and the fall had knocked him out cold, he had yet to wake up.

Luke was always my weakness, and I, his, and the whole army knew it, but I still waited for the tent to be almost completely cleared before I gripped his hand in mine.

"Luke? Luke, can you hear me? Please wake up. I need you." My speech was choppy, and my voice hoarse as I tried to rouse him. "Come on, Luke, just wake up already. You're fine, I know you're fine, so why don't you show it?" I leaned my body in close to his, and brought my lips so they were merely a half-inch from his ear. "Wake up my love."

My eyelids grew heavy; they sagged over my golden irises as my head began to sink down to Luke's pillow. But just as I felt the soft fabric against my forehead I felt something press on my left ear, it was warm and moist. Then I felt a larger force grab the back of my head and I reeled back in shock.

"Wow, easy there, I'm not gonna` hurt you," Luke's sky-blue eyes shone as he stared at me, his smile a gleaming light in my heart.

My mouth fell open in awe, I wanted to speak, wanted to tell him just how much I missed him, and how I worried, but the words wouldn't form. All I could manage was, "L–lu–my gods…."

Sitting up slowly, Luke wrapped his strong arms around me and held me in his embrace. It felt like hours we sat there, sharing our warmth, not saying a word. But after a time it was all to end, and by my doing.

"What happened to you Luke?"

Pulling away, he looked at me quizzically. "I fell off a cliff, Rebecca, but I'm fine…You know that–"

"Yes," I snapped unintentionally. "But I'm not talking about that…I mean…Before camp, before Thalia and Annabeth…What happened to you?" My voice quavered, and I struggled to keep my eyes on Luke, but he answered nonetheless almost without hesitation.

"I guess you were bound to find out sooner or later," he shifted his gaze to look directly into my eyes, his gaze swimming through me. "Go ahead. You deserve to know."

Nodding, I focused my gaze even deeper into his eyes and soon enough I was standing in an old house, the furniture floral and stained with age. It was raining outside, the thunder roared outside, and the lightning illuminated the living room, which I stood in. I could hear screaming coming from down the hall. Following the noise, I made my way to the kitchen, which was littered with dirty dishes, and partially cooked food. At the table sat a little boy with shaggy blond hair and sky-blue eyes, it was Luke, but he was young, only about nine, maybe eight, and without his scar. A woman stood over him, her eyes gleaming a translucent green, she was shaking him, and screaming something. "A tragic fate! DEATH! Luke! MY BOY!" Luke looked so afraid, so unlawfully scared of this woman. Then she looked up at me, her green eyes piercing through me. "It's all your fault!" She screeched, and I automatically released myself from Luke's mind.

"Who was she?" I asked, panting.

"My…mother," he managed with a frown.

"What happened to her?"

"She saw through the mist, Hermes wanted her to become the Oracle, but it refused her, and…"

"My gods…I'm so sorry, Luke."

"Don't be. My mother saw something terrible in my future, so my father blamed me for her state."

At that I wanted to hold him, keep him close and assure him that nothing bad would ever happen to him, but he would not let me, I could see it in his face.

"Go on," he nodded, and so I did.

This time I stood in a lounge area, with a brown sofa and matching chair. This place I did recognize; I was in the Big House at camp, but it was quite a few years ago. Chiron was there; looking the same as ever, perched in his wheelchair. And in the chair, in the exact spot where I found myself sitting two years ago, sat Luke. He must have been about fifteen, his scar fresh and bandaged, and his face displayed the deepest sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Luke, I truly am," Chiron attempted to comfort the boy Luke, with a reassuring pat on the knee, but Luke shrunk away with a scowl. "I didn't intend for it to end this way, but –"

"But what?" Luke snapped. "But you were wrong and _I'm _the one that gets to pay for it? That's what always happens, isn't it? Don't you get it? It's over Chiron! I quit!" With a jolt, Luke jumped out of the chair and stormed towards the door, his face creased and red, and his bandage stained with new blood.

"Luke wait!" Chiron rose a hand to stop him.

"What?" Luke turned harshly on his heel. I couldn't believe the anger he stored within himself even then.

"I know this is hard for you. Ever since Thalia–"

"Don't you _dare _bring her into this."

"Fine. But you can't stay this way forever Luke. Someday you will have to learn to forgive."

"Oh yeah? Just watch me."

With that the scene faded into a dark cloud of smoke. I had a feeling that I knew what happened from here, but I couldn't help myself, I needed to see if my dreams told the truth of Luke's future. I needed to see what he would become, so I dug further into his life, into the future. I waited there for a moment, but soon enough Luke came into view and to my horror, my worst nightmare was, sure enough, a reality.

Panting, I pulled myself out of Luke's mind and found myself in his arms.

"It's okay," he soothed me, but it didn't work.

"Stop it!" I pushed him away roughly and crossed my arms.

"Oh, come on," he begged, "Is this about Thalia? I don't feel that way anymore, I–"

"So you admit you had feelings for her?"

"Yes," he breathed. "I mean…I did, but not anymore, okay? I love _you_ Rebecca. You and _only_ you." Hands red and sweaty, he reached towards me, but this time I jumped to my feet.

"You love me, eh? If that's true than _why_ did you agree to be my FATHER'S HOST?" I didn't mean to shout, my intentions were for us to have a patient, mature discussion, but my emotions got in the way. My voice went harsh and groggy, and my pulse quickened to an alarming height. All noise from outside ceased and I realized that I had, by mistake, frozen the entire vicinity in time, except for Luke and me.

Taking a shaky breath Luke began to speak, but didn't dare look me in the eye. "I'm sorry…"

"That was your intention all along, wasn't it? That's why you went in the Styx, that's why you took over full command!"

"I wanted to tell you, Rebecca, I really did…but…"

"But _what?_"

"But I wasn't even sure that I wanted to do it. I had half a mind _not_ to agree to it, but then…I saw you…and…And I thought you were dead!" He screamed.

My pulse dropped and the camp was released. _I knew it._

"I saw you in the desert…you weren't moving. Atlas said you were dead."

"And you _believed _him?"

"So you're telling me you _weren't_ dead?" He asked quizzically.

Ready to answer with a quick denial, I opened my mouth, only to close it again. _I can't lie to him. Not now, not ever…_ "I didn't want to tell you," I spoke quietly. "But I guess I have no choice. I did die, Luke."

Shocked, he raised his head to me.

"But I was brought back," I admitted.

"How?"

"I –" Ready to tell him everything about Bianca, Rachel, and pretty well every dream I ever had, I stopped myself. _I guess there are some things that _are_ best to keep secret._ So I lied, "I don't know….I guess it was my father, or another Titan. But I'm okay now, we both are, and that's all that matters, right?"

Rising off the bed to embrace me, Luke agreed, "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

So I let him hold me, his scared cheek against the back of my head, and his warm hands caressing my back. But I couldn't bring myself to smile, for there was nothing to be happy about. In a few months Luke would be gone, and my father would take over. These moments between Luke and I would be at an end, and I would have to do something about Bianca. So much was happening so fast, and where would it land me? _I wish I could see my own future._

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**And so ends Part 3, Part 4 will hopefully be up within the month. Reviews are greatly appreciated, so let me know how you're liking it, or how you're hating it...either way. Even if you do it Anonymously, pretty please ;)  
Till next chapter then.  
**


	31. Not Again!

**Part 4: The Battle of The Labryinth  
**

"Tell me again why I'm doing this," I found myself whining to Luke as he led me through the streets of San Francisco. I had made every excuse I could think of begging Luke to let me stay at camp. "My father will be upset, he's already furious with me…I'm tired, I need to be at my best for this coming war…You love me, and you want me to be safe, but this'll only place me in greater danger…" But he wouldn't have it.

"I can't do this alone, Rebecca. I need you," he pleaded.

"Why do you even need to do it in the first place? I've already told you how it'll end, I saw your future, Luke."

But he refused to believe me. So there I was, making my way to Annabeth Chase's house in attempt to recruit her.

When we reached the tall brick house, I couldn't help but eye the beautifully kept garden out-front. The colourful flowers were just beginning to come out and bloom in the warm spring air. Cars passed by, unaware of the sword strapped to my hip, or the contempt within my heart. Luke rang the doorbell, shouting emanated from inside, and moments later the door opened to a woman. She had long brown hair tied haphazardly in a bun. The only sign of makeup on her face was the reminiscence of eyeliner and mascara from the previous day. I almost envied her. _If only I had the time to do that_. I use to, but living in a camp with nothing but monsters and frightened demigods, I was lacking in supplies.

"Hello," the woman greeted semi-wearily. "You must be friend's of Annabeth!" She smiled, her face suddenly lighting up. "Come in, come in." Speaking to two boys sitting on the floor she said, "Clean up your toys boys, and get your father. We have guests. I'm sorry," she continued to Luke and me, leading us through the threshold and into a well-lived living room. "Please sit down, I'll go get some snacks." Gesturing to a red sofa, she left us and went to the kitchen. Soon after, she returned with a tray of fresh, homemade cookies and two glasses of milk. "Annabeth's gone out for a few hours, but she should be back soon. I mean, she can't spend forever in the library."

Luke and the woman shared a small laugh, but my face remained stern, even when Luke shouldered me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Chase," Luke said politely taking a cookie and his glass of milk.

"Yes, thank you," I managed, reaching for my own glass wearily, but I didn't drink. I could feel Mrs. Chase's curious gaze on me, like a scholar studying a rare artifact.

"Are you not hungry dear?" She asked me. "We have other food if you would like. Let's see, there's veggies and dip…Oh, or I could whip up some of my famous tortilla dip!"

"No," I stopped her, "I–mean…I'm fine…really." I said, managing a weak smile.

"Who's this?" A deep voice came from the doorway to the living room. I turned to see a rather stout man with blond hair, startlingly similar to Annabeth's.

"Oh, hello dear! These of some of Annabeth's friends….I'm sorry, I don't think I got your names," Mrs. Chase frowned.

"Oh I'm–" Luke began, but just at that moment the front door creaked open and the unmistakable voice of Annabeth Chase sounded, "I'm home."

My heart sank.

"We're in here, Annie!" Mrs. Chase called, and the girl's footsteps made their way towards us. My stomach began to clench, and my throat grew soar. _I knew this wasn't a good idea_. "Some of your friend's are here to see you!"

The footsteps stopped and next to Mr. Chase stood the very girl that I had held captive for weeks, threatened with death, and worse yet, turned her closest and oldest friend against her.

Her eyes shot open and I saw her hand slowly move to her thigh, where her knife was strapped.

"Hey Annabeth," Luke smiled, but didn't move.

"Get out," Annabeth ordered through clenched teeth.

"Annie, what's wrong?" Mr. Chase asked. "Who are these people?"

"About that…" I couldn't help but intercede. "You remember up on the mountain over the holidays?" I rose one eyebrow at the man. "That girl that you were shooting at, amongst all the monsters?" He looked at me quizzically. "Yeah…well that was me," I finished quickly.

"She's a daughter of Kronos, dad," Annabeth spat. "And this," she jutted her chin at Luke, "Is Luke Castellan."

The family's jaw's dropped.

"You're the girl who tried to kill me daughter?" Mr. Chase asked, eyebrow's startlingly close together.

"Well…You see, I didn't really have a choice, you know? But…yep. That was me," I smiled. "But that's in the past, bud. It's over."

"You wish," he growled and lunged at me.

"DAD NO!" Annabeth yelped and snatched her dad before he could reach me. "You have no idea, how powerful she is."

"Yeah…okay….So I'm gonna` go now…" I rose to me feet and made my way towards the door, but Luke grabbed my arm from behind.

"Rebecca, you promised," he whispered. "I need you here."

"No you don't," I brushed his hand away. "I.M. me if you need to. I got some stuff I need to take care of."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Girl stuff," I shrugged. "I'll see you back at camp as soon as I can, okay?"

"Fine. But be careful," he warned.

"I'm not the one who needs to be careful, Luke." Taking one last weary look at the Chase family, I kissed Luke lightly on the cheek and pushed back onto the busy streets.

…

I had every intention to go straight to Bianca, sort things out with her, and put myself at ease, but my temptations got the best of me. It was for this reason that I found myself in the nearest pub, propped up on a beer-stained barstool nursing a small glass of rum and coke. Being able to control time certainly has its perks, like the fact that I never actually look my age, so at fifteen, I could easily pass for the necessary age of twenty-one. _Gods, why can't the states be the same as Canada? I mean, what's so wrong with drinking at nineteen anyways?_

As I drained the last morsel of the drink and removed the glass from my lips I noticed a young man, a few years older than Luke, sitting on the stool next to me.

"Can I buy you a drink?" The man asked, a sly smile playing onto his dark face.

A sensible girl would have given a quick refusal and departed, but I was in dire need of a drink, something to take off the edge, but lacking in money, as I was, I nodded. "Sure you can," I told him. "Screwdriver if you will," I smiled.

"Coming right up," turning to the bartender the man shouted, "Hey Frankie, why don't you get the pretty gal one of your best."

"Sure thing, Jake," the bartender called back, swiping a bill from the other side of the bar counter.

Moments later the bartender, Frankie, slammed a fanciful glass full of orange liquid in front of me, "There you go," he smiled, "Enjoy." With a slight wink, he turned and walked away.

"Thanks," I said to the man next to me–Jake–and took a sip of the sweet drink, after finishing my previous one, as it flowed down my throat the subtle buzz of the alcohol filled my mouth.

"So you like it sweet?" Jake asked, watching me intently.

"Not normally," I answered lightly, "But I didn't think Frankie there would appreciate me asking for some Moonshine."

Laughing, Jake took a sip of his own drink, a simply beer. "Well, in that case, try this." From the inside of his jacket, Jake produced a small silver bottle. "From my Grandfather's stash." He raised the bottle my way but I shook my head.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Oh come on, Rebecca," he smiled, and that's when I stopped smiling entirely.

My expression stone cold I spoke, "I don't recall telling you mine name, _Jake_."

Jake suddenly began to laugh, a malicious sound not humorous in the slightest, but conniving and almost frightening.

"Monster or half-blood?" I asked quietly.

"Half-blood. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

I nodded. "Who sent you?"

"Chiron."

"And your mission?"

"To kill you," he rushed, "But why are you asking me this, when you can easily see it?"

"So they can hear you," I nodded to a couple of men standing nonchalantly nearby. On cue they turned this way. "I could kill you myself, but I don't like to get my hands dirty if I don't have to. So I always like to have a few of my men on guard. Good-bye Jake. Thanks for the drink." I smiled, swung down the last of my screwdriver, and left Jake to the men's mercy.

"On second thought," I turned suddenly on my heel back to face Jake. "I'm feeling generous today. Give me your hand," I reached out my palm towards the elder demigod.

Reluctantly, with a terrified look on his face, Jake placed his hand in mine.

Tightening my grip so that Jake was struggling to pull away, I removed a dagger from my hip, and sliced his hand clean off his arm.

A sickening scream filled the bar, but its occupants were oblivious to it, I ensured that. Blood gushed from the stump that was his wrist and pooled on the floor.

"Give Chiron my best," I gave him a crooked smile and turned to my men, who were still standing by the wall. "If you find any more enemy half-bloods bring them to the camp. Luke and I will deal with them upon my return."

"Yes my lady."

Jake hurried to leave the bar, his wrist clinging to his chest. I also left, but didn't follow, I had my own business to attend to.

…

"Took you long enough," Bianca remarked when she finally clapped eyes on me. She had been staying at this cheap motel in New Jersey. It seemed that she had hitched a ride with that mortal chick–Rachel–all the way back to New York, but Bianca thought better of staying in the city.

"I'm surprised," I admitted to the obviously mangled girl. "I expected to find you in a remote forest off the coast of Main or something."

For a moment her dark brown eyes narrowed in on me, "Was that a…joke?"

Shrugging, I answered simply, "Maybe."

Glancing wearily around the surrounding outdoors, Bianca said, "You'd better come in."

The motel looked just as shabby from the inside as it did from the outside. The sheets were a putrid shade of purple with brown flowers embroidered into it, I couldn't help but imagine how much the beads with itch. The window shutters were almost falling off their hinges, but Bianca somehow managed to close them, along with the scuffed up drapes. It reminded me of a typical set for Supernatural.

"Here, sit down," she gestured to a ratty chair with a rip in the seat.

"Um…thanks," politely, I seated myself in the chair, but cautiously as to avoid any further damage.

"So, what took you so long anyways?" Bianca asked, seating herself on the bed.

"Oh, you know, just leading your average titan army into battle, only managing to kill one of your enemies, the aftermath…stuff like that."

"Oh, okay," she shot an expectant look to the door, only to shift her gaze back to me.

"You alright?" A tone of concern seeped through my voice. "You seem kinda`…on edge. Been attacked a lot lately or something?"

"What? Oh no…not at all, just–"

"'Not at all'? Really? I'm surprised, being as powerful as you are. I mean, monsters are drawn to me like flies to raw meat!"

"Oh yeah?" She replied weakly.

"Bianca–"

"Do you want a drink? I've got some water, or–"

"No thanks, I'm fine," I cut her off. "Do you want to leave now? Is that it? Because we can…I mean–"

"No, no, that's okay…You must be tired. Why don't you lie down?"

"I'm fine…" That's about when I noticed she wouldn't look me in the eye. _What's she hiding?_

I didn't have to wait long before I found out. Too late had I realized that I had walked right into a trap.

_Boom!_ The door flew open and in strode the goddess of the hunt: Artemis.

"Hello Rebecca. So nice to see you again so soon."

I tried to stand up, to draw Bluefire and fight my way out, but I couldn't budge a muscle. Somehow the goddess was holding me in place. I squirmed and I thrashed and I hollered, but it was useless.

"Let me go you bitch!" I demanded.

And then the whole situation grew worse. Chiron came in behind Artemis, followed by a herd of hunters led my Thalia Grace. I had heard whispers of her joining their ranks as to sway the Great Prophecy, but this was the first confirmation of those rumors.

"Hello Rebecca," Chiron greeted spitefully, Thalia said nothing.

"What do you want Chiron?" I spat.

He laughed, "Well, to be truthful, I want your head on a platter, but we don't always get what we want, do we? You see, the lady Artemis does not take kindly to betrayal," at this he glanced over at Bianca, who was now standing. "But she was still able to communicate with Bianca as to make a deal."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" I asked only to humor him.

"Her pardon, for your capture," he smiled.

"Go to Tartarus!" I shouted.

"Take her away, Thalia," Artemis ordered her lieutenant, seemingly uninterested in my spat.

"Yes my lady." Thalia bowed and signaled for two of her hunters to fetch me. Each grabbing one of my arms they hoisted me from the chair and slowly began to walk towards the door.

"Let go of me!" I shouted, thrashing out at the hunters. "Get your fucking hands off of me!"

"Stop!" Artemis said calmly. The hunters turned me to face the goddess. "Listen close, daughter of Kronos," she lifted my chin slightly with the tip of her index finger. "You have two options: you can either co-operate and come quietly, or I could turn you into something _very _unpleasant to make the travel all the easier on us. Now which will it be?"

Taking a deep breath I calmed my anger, and instead of trashing out I spoke in a startlingly calm tone. "You can do whatever the Hades you want to me lady, but I won't tell you _anything_. And sooner or later you're gonna` make a mistake, and when you do not only will I escape, I'll kill you. Sound like a plan to you?"

"_I _am a _goddess_, Rebecca. I do not make _mistakes_."

"Sure you do. Everyone does. Especially you self-centered, self-righteous, _pricks_, that people like to call gods."

I could tell that my remark stung the goddess almost as much as her strike to my face to follow did.

"Take her to the car, proceed with Chiron back to camp. I'll deal with Bianca."

"Yes Lady Artemis," Thalia bowed her head and began to push me out to the car. I shot one last loathing glance at Bianca before the door shut behind me.

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**So there's chap 31! Oh, I found another song that I think suits this story (i KINDA love my music). So check out _Lovers in a Dangerous Time _by the Barenaked Ladies! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to get another chapter done before I go away on a band trip, but no guarantees...Review plz, and tell your friends bout this story too if you would ;) CC is always appreciated.**


	32. Fear

**Hey guys! So so soooo sorry for the very long wait. Excuse? I was away on a band trip, then EXTRA busy with a charity event at my school (long story). But anyways I got it done. Here's Chapter 32! I think you're going to like it ;)**

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I knew this place; the feel of the rocky wall digging into my back, the taste of the damp air on my tongue, the cold embrace of the metal cuffs against my wrists. I was back at camp. It was the same room as before, the same window places high upon the wall, only they had removed the bed of which I once lied upon.

Without opening my eyes I became aware of my surroundings; I was chained up against the wall adjacent to the window, my shackled wrists were the only things keeping me up, my feet were inches from the ground, but not near enough to reach. The metal dug into my flesh uncomfortably, I thrashed about in a vain attempt to free myself only to discover that my ankles were bound in the same manor. _I could break my thumbs_, I pondered, _but where would that get me? Feet still chained, and no possible way to defend myself!_ All I could do was wait.

Of course ADHD does not make patience my strong point. It must have only been a few minutes or so that I let myself hang there in silence, but it felt like eternity.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? YOU COWARDS, LET ME OUT! AFRAID TO FACE ME YOU JERKS?" I shouted, jangling my shackles about, but no one answered.

…

(Chiron's POV)

When the shimmering light that was an Iris message appeared, interrupting my game of Pinochle with Dionysus, I thought it was Percy checking in on things and confirming his return for the summer, but I was greatly misled. Luke Castellan's barely recognizable features slowly grew into focus in the image. His blond hair had grown into a floppy mess hiding one of his eyes from view, it was streaked grey on the left side, reminisce of his time holding the sky no doubt for both Percy and Annabeth had similar discolourations. His once sun-kissed skin had turned a sickly white, large bags sat beneath his resilient blue eyes. He looked nothing like the Luke I once knew, the boy who came here so long ago.

"Luke," I said expressionlessly, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Cut the crap Chiron," Luke barked, his eyes set in a scowl. "You know what I want. I know what you've done."

"It isn't entirely my doing," I spoke calmly as to avoid angering Dionysus, who sat across from me.

"Oh, not at all," he replied sarcastically. "You just set the trap, right? That makes it your doing."

The boy's temper was rising; his face grew hot with rage just as Mr. D blurted out, "Stop the drama Castellan. Let's get to the bargaining shall we?"

"Mr. D!" I turned on the god, appalled by his words. It was not his place to bargain with the enemy, that was _my _job.

"Fine, fine," he sighed. "Leave me with the boring job why don't you. I'll be in the dining pavilion if you care to find me later." With that, he left the porch of the Big House and I was left alone with my former student.

"You _will_ return her to me, Chiron. And she will be unharmed, you hear me."

"Yes, I hear you Luke. However, it is not my place to be making such decisions. As you have already assumed, I am the girl's jailer, but I am in no way responsible for her capture. She is much too cunning for that, isn't she?"

"Stop talking like you know her you piece of filth! You know _nothing _about her…or me for that matter."

"There, you are wrong, Luke. I know more about you than you do about yourself."

"SHUT THE HADES UP!" There it was. His temper had always been his weak point; all I need do was play it to my advantage.

"You know I'm right, Luke."

"NO! Listen to me you son of a bitch, you will release Rebecca, or I will personally slit your throat and let your guts smear the dirt of the earth, exactly where they belong."

His words sent a shutter through my spine, but I didn't dare show it. If I were to ever stop Luke, I couldn't show weakness, not now, not ever. So instead of remarking on his comment I asked, "Are you not curious as to how your beloved was captured? Or are you simply avoiding the topic as to ease your fears?"

He remained silent.

"Well, I shall settle your thoughts. It was Bianca di Angelo. Rebecca had formed an alliance with her after she saved her life in December. Rebecca had gone to check up on the poor girl, only to fall right into our clutches. Bianca betrayed Rebecca, just as she betrayed you."

"SHE DID NOT–" he took a deep breath before continuing, "She did not betray me. She would never betray me. You're lying!"

"I wish I was," I told the boy with mock sympathy. "But I speak the truth."

"You're a real piece of work, aren't you Chiron? Well listen to me you ass whole, if you lay so much as a finger on Rebecca I will kill you. Before this summer ends I will bring my army to your precious camp and I will destroy you and all of your precious half-bloods. Mark my words Chiron."

A sense of loss swept over me as the image faded. It was my fault, was it not? I could have stopped Luke from becoming this menace, if only I had been more truthful with him…Perhaps then he wouldn't have followed Rebecca down this road. _No!_ I thought, _It isn't my fault. It's hers. There is nothing I could have done to suede Luke away from her. Why do I punish myself when I am not the one to blame?_

"Jared! Come here please," I called over a son of Ares who was running laps around the camp. There weren't many campers around this time of year, and even fewer as some joined the Titans.

"Yes Chiron," he said slowly, but not panting.

"I want you to come with me downstairs. I need to have a chat with our prisoner."

"But, sir, I thought Artemis said–"

"I _know_ what Artemis said, Jared. But I merely want to speak with the girl." I avoided saying Rebecca's name. It had become a sort of pathological fear of the campers. You would think it to be just as powerful as speaking her father's name. _Our father, that is…No! Not my father…_

"I understand Chiron." Without another word I led Jared down the cold, dark stairway to the door of Rebecca's cell. I shouldn't have to hide behind the sword of a child, but I had to…because I was afraid.

I nodded for Jared continue. He slit the key into the lock and turned until it clicked, the door opened.

Jared stepped into the dimly lit room first, I followed. The primary source of light shone in from the window high upon the wall, the light streamed onto Rebecca's limp form hanging from the far wall. Her wrists were bloodied and scarred, as well as her ankles, her head hung flaccidly, lips swollen and eyes blackened from the beating Zoe had bestowed upon her arrival at camp. She had been stripped of all weapons including her startling blade, as well as her leather jacket. This left her wearing a brown jerkin showing off her arm muscles, and loose-fitting cargo pants. Her hair had been cut since she left camp a few years ago, but it was still that pale sort of red colour, it reminded me of diluted blood.

"Wake her up," I ordered the son of Ares.

…

(Rebecca's POV)

When I next woke it was to a grating noise resonating in my right eardrum. It took me a bit to decipher the noise as a boy's voice. My heavy lids fluttered open only to have my eyes flood with light. I quickly shut them again to hide my sensitive retinas. Then I felt the pain in my wrists, the swelling in my face, and I remembered everything. My eyes shot open and I suppressed the urge to shut them again, I could not show weakness, now more than ever I had to be strong.

"Well well well," Chiron spoke in a disapproving tone as he wheeled over to me. "I finally have you right where I want you."

"Yet I'm still the one looking down on you, you piece of shit," I managed in a weak voice, splattering blood over the director's face.

"Is that so?" Wiping the blood from his cheek the old man changed into centaur form right before my eyes. The boy, who was now standing at Chiron's side stared in wonder, but I showed no sign of being impressed. "You know, I just had the most charming chat with Luke. I figured he deserved to know what was going on…with you and Bianca, that is."

Shock, rage, resentment; an extensive list of emotions flooded my mind, but I showed nothing, I couldn't through the pain. "You lie," I spat blood.

"Sorry, but no. I promise you one thing, Rebecca. I will never lie to you."

I remained silent, watching the centaur resentfully.

"As you are well aware I have spies in your army, just as you do here. I know all of your plans; your plans to bring your father back–"

"_Our_ father," I said, reminding him of his treacherous past. "And if you truly knew of our plans you wouldn't need me here, now would you, _brother_?"

He pressed his lips tightly together in a snarl.

"So, humour me, what do you want?"

"Well aren't you the eager one?" Chiron laughed. "Well, you're in luck, because I myself am not entirely patient in this instance. But since I don't have my tools…"

Just as he made to leave I shouted through my swollen face, "No wonder no one has killed you yet, Chiron. You never face your foes, you just _run like a coward!_"

The son of Ares–for it was no doubt Ares was his sire with that the broad shoulders and angered expression–raised a fist to strike me, but I caught him in sight and the boy froze under my power.

"You can't hold him there forever child. You'll never escape your bonds," he shook his head disapprovingly.

For a moment I held the boy there, my gaze fixed sourly on Chiron, though he did not meet my eyes. A coward, yes, but a smart coward at that.

Reluctantly I released my hold and the boy's momentum continued, striking my right cheek, sending a spew of blood out of my mouth.

"Fuck off," I sighed, spitting out the remaining blood.

"Now, my dear. Would you care to inform me of your father's plans?" He asked with mock politeness.

"Go to Tartarus you son of a bitch," I growled.

"Jared, go heat the coals in the fire place, will you? I think our guest here needs a little persuasion," Chiron smiled and the boy left without a word.

_What? No! No, please! Please don't! _ I mentally pleaded, but kept my face stern with rage.

"Where's Bianca?" I ordered before I could stop the words from exiting my mouth. I couldn't help it, though she betrayed me and led to my capture I worried for the girl. What had become of her? Artemis wasn't about to give her a gold metal or anything. What would she do to her?

The old man laughed, "She's with Artemis. Under close guard until we can determine a proper punishment."

"If you touch her–" I threatened.

"What? What could you possible do, Rebecca? Fight as much as you want, but you'll never leave here alive." He almost laughed the last bit.

"_Fine. _But I won't speak a word. But please, give it a try," I challenged just as Jared walked in.

"The metal is nearly red, sir," he announced, back straight and hands behind his back, just as a soldier would stand.

Every muscle in my body tensed as Chiron nodded and pressed in some sort of code onto the brick wall. It didn't look like there was anything there, but the next minute the wall where my bed had been during my last visit opened up at the bottom to reveal a burning coal fire, protruding from the flame was one of those rods used for stirring a fire. The tip of the metal was fiery red.

Chiron reached out and snatched the rod out of the coals, careful not to touch the heated part. "Now then, where will you strike?"

I gritted my teeth as he jabbed the burning metal rod into my side, burning through the flesh like it was made of plastic.


	33. Prisoner of a Dangerous Mind

**Hey there guys! I honestly feel for y'all, having to wait for me to post this stuff. Well, anyways, you all rock if you're still reading on. Thanks a ton for that! Well I got exams coming up in a few weeks, so no writing will be done until July for sure, but my Birthday's coming soon, which is always fun! Take a listen to _Dangerous Mind_ by Within Temptation, favourite band all the way! R&R please...ENJOY!**

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Why me? Why did it have to be me? Why couldn't I have been born to a normal family in the suburbs? I would go to school every day and my mom would pick me up every Tuesday and Thursday for gymnastics while my little sister watched eagerly from the side lines awaiting the time that she could join in. Normality, oh how I longed for that in my life. The only normal thing in my life was Luke, but it had been so long since I had seen him. At least, it felt like a long time, though it was nigh impossible to keep track of time here. Other than the sun slowly rising and setting every day my only way to judge time resided in the metal of my cuffs digging deeper and deeper into my flesh. My wounds throbbed with increasing discomfort though Chiron had force-fed me ambrosia. Though it seemed like a kind gesture it was merely so that he could come back later and start anew without me passing out. I wish he would just kill me already, but I had no such luck.

Pain, dread, loathe; there was nothing left for me. Luke; his gentle voice, his shimmering hair, his gleaming eyes; all were gone.

"How will he rise?" Chiron ordered, spitting saliva into the slog of blood on my face.

"I don't know," I groaned. Hot metal embedded itself in my shoulder and the cuffs cut my wrists as I jerked violently.

"Where is your camp?" As if changing the question every five seconds would suede me to answer.

My screams averted to a cold laughter, "You know about Mount Othrys, Chiron. So why do you ask this of me?"

"I am not referring to San Francisco."

Another sharp pain, this one cold, or could it be that I no longer could determine warm from cold? I knew he spoke of the desert campsite of which I knew the whereabouts but had not been for some time since I was confined to the mountain, but Chiron need not know that.

"You know what Chiron?" I asked smugly, almost whispering. "When I get out of here I'll kill you myself."

The old man laughed, "Like I said before, you have nowhere to go from here, but to Hades."

"So you say, brother, so you say," I smiled, staring longingly out the window.

"So I say," he agreed, and so the pain continued.

…

(Luke's POV)

"Sir, Lord Atlas wishes to speak with you," a young boy spoke softly from the threshold to the stateroom.

"Can the man not realize that I have more important matters to deal with then listening to him WHINE ABOUT EVERY LITTLE THING!" My voice gradually rose, causing the boy to shrink away out of fright. "Go. Leave me! GO!" The boy raced away, leaving me alone.

Collapsing violently on the couch I let my hands grasp tendrils of hair and my head thrashed about in denial.

_Curse you Chiron! Curse you for stealing her from me! May you rot…_

_"Send men," _and all-too-familiar voice sounded in my head. _"Kill Chiron and all within his camp." _

"Master?"

"_My daughter has served you well, has she not?"_

I nodded hesitantly.

"_Do I not deserve the same?"_

"Of course you do my Lord, but I simply thought–I understood that –You punished her. You never allowed her on any quests," I managed.

"_Yet she continued to defy me, and look where that got her. I took the necessary precautions to ensure my daughter's safety."_

So Kronos was a…good father?

_"Now she is in danger. Though I know she will never give into my _son's_ torments, her life is at risk."_ Son; he spoke the word with such disgust and hatred. "_I still require her services. It is your duty then to ensure her safety, is it not?"_

"What?" The question took me aback. "Yes, of course."

_"And you have FAILED!"_

A sharp pain formed in the back of my skull as well as horrifying images of Chiron stabbing Rebecca with a fiery red rod.

"NO!" I screamed and the image faded. Kronos was right, I realized as I made my way out of the stateroom and onto the deck.

"You," I stopped the first demigod I saw. "Assemble a group of three men to depart for Camp Half-Blood within the hour."

"But sir, I thought the attack on camp wasn't to be for a few months. We have no–"

"I know!" I snapped, gripping the hilt on Backbiter. "You are to go there, unnoticed and bring back Rebecca. Kill anyone who gets in your way."

"Yes sir," he nodded in understanding. "But if she is not still alive–"

"She will be!"

"Yes," he spoke calmly, "But if she isn't–"

"She is!" I assured him.

"Yes sir," he nodded, "Of course," and walked away.

"Oh gods," I screeched as soon as the stateroom door closed, burying my head in my hands.

"There there, hun." I felt a scaly hand rest upon my shoulder and look up to see the penetrating red eyes of Kelli the empousa. Her fiery hair sparked dangerously close to my eyebrows.

I sighed, "What do you want, Kelli?"

"I want you to be happy dear, you now that," she smiled. "Yu don't need Rebecca. In fact, you're much better off without her. She isn't even that pretty–well, at least not as pretty as I am." She tried to embrace me but I pushed her away, sending her awkwardly tumbling over the coffee table and onto the coach.

"Oh," she giggled seductively. "I see." She began to unbuckle the clasps on her shirt, all the while eyeing me greedily.

"Kelli, quit it!" I ordered, appalled by her actions. "You know I don't want this, so leave!" I pointed a finger at the door.

"No need to get all grouchy," the empousa whined, buckling up her shirt once more. "I'll come back when you're in a better mood."

"Don't bother," I mumbled as she slithered out onto the deck.

Shutting the door behind her I gripped the handle and sunk against the hard wood. "Oh gods…"

…

(Rebecca's POV)

I felt like my hands were about to tear off. I had hung there for so long the metal had engraved itself deep into my flesh. My right arm particularly felt numb since Chiron landed a particularly hard blow there yesterday, the force was so intense it may have caused my shoulder to roll out of its socket. The pain had escalated to a degree in which sleep was not possible.

_Don't give up, Rebecca,_ I kept telling myself. _It'll soon be over. Someone will come… _I hated admitting it, but I needed help. There was no escaping here myself; I needed Luke.

"_You are brave,"_ the deep foreboding voice of my father reverberated in my skull, much more present then it had been in the past.

_Father?_ I managed through my crazed mind.

"_Yes, it is I. Do not loose hope, for I am always with you."_ On those words my tattoo began to tingle; not sharply as it had in the past, but more of a nudge, letting me know it was still there. Once the tingling ceased, so did the pain in my shoulder. _"You are my Watcher, are you not? So watch!"_

Suddenly a slew of images filled my mind. The green pastures of Camp Half-Blood, the dark forest on the camp's boundaries, and odd rock formation that might have resembled a thumb. Then, near the foot of the structure was a sort of triangle symbol, it glowed and a door appeared.

_"Here is where your escape lies. Find the labyrinth. Follow you instincts, they will lead you to safety."_

_But…Kronos…I can't–I…How am I to escape?_

_You need not worry of that. You need only wait,_" and he spoke no more.

…

To tell the truth I remember little more of my time at camp. Whether I blacked out or my mind has simply chosen to forget those horrid details. I remember bits and peaces: pain…blood…screams…lust…and then…nothing. Artemis came once; she tried to get information from me just as Chiron had, but similarly to no avail. She was much more brutal than Chiron in her methods of torture, most likely due to her hatred for me, but all the more reason for me to keep quiet. Afterwards various demigods were forced down with Chiron as his own personal bodyguards–none of which I recognized.

It was late one night when I had the most unexpected visitor yet. My eyes refused to stay open, not only because of my exhaustion–the only sleep I got came from momentary black-outs–but also because the constant agony my body was in and the sudden relief when the ambrosia kicked in, was too much for my body to handle. It was ready to give in, my brain told my muscles to give up and for my heart to cease beating, but I wouldn't give in to its pleas.

The room suddenly grew extremely dark as the shadows seemed to cover the little moonlight that entered my cell. Shocked, my eyes shot open and my hearing doubled in effort, but it wasn't until the small light near the door was flicked on that I realized whom the intruder was. A boy–he couldn't have been more than eleven years old–with greasy black hair, pale yet olive skin reminiscent of Bianca's, and a killer stare that would have scared skeletons out of their graves. He looked almost foolish in his baggy aviator's jacket and black jeans.

"Nico di Angelo," I managed, "I was wondering when I'd be seeing you. Did Chiron send you?" I tried to meet his gaze so that I could know everything I needed to about this kid, but it was too dark, he was too careful.

"I'm not one of Chiron's little pawns," he snarled. "I've come on my own terms."

Snickering slightly I asked, "And those are…?"

"You brought my sister back."

It wasn't a question, but I answered anyways, "Yeah, and killed myself in the process."

"Yes, but you're somehow still here…"

"Thank your sister for that." I wanted him to hurry up and get to his point, I didn't want to hang there all day, though it seemed I had no choice.

"Hades made us powerful, gave us great gifts…but neither Bianca nor I can bring people back from the dead." His tone was matter-of-factly.

"Too true. And I've never managed it before Bianca…or afterwards, for that matter." Now I understood.

"So…does that mean…?"

Giving my weak attempt at a nod I answered, "It would seem that our powers...amplify when I'm around any child of the Big Three."

"Thalia and Percy –?"

Although he refused to meet my gaze it seemed that the son of Hades had absolutely no trouble simply chatting with me, but I did. I snapped, "Why does it matter to you anyways? You want to join my army or something?"

"Of course not!" The boy snapped taking a step back deeper into the darkness. Then, seeming to realize his actions, stepped forward again and spoke confidently, "Bianca's in prison because of you. Artemis will probably kill her…but no one dares hurt you–"

"_Excuse me?_" I scoffed. "Have you _seen_ what Chiron's–"

"Oh yeah," he went on as if I never said anything. "They'll beat you senseless, but they'll never kill you," the cold, bitter tone in which he spoke was too great for one so young. It was as if he'd lived so long that he'd seen every horror that the world had to show. But how could a ten-year-old manage such resentment? "Bianca will die and you'll live…" His voice broke when he spoke the inevitable fate of his sister. "It's _you _that deserves to die you…you practically murdered my sister, you–" A wretched noise from the back of his throat cut him off.

Looking at him with solemn eyes I swallowed an ounce of blood and spoke, "I didn't kill your sister Nico. She died in the desert, and I brought her back, okay? Of course I killed myself in the process, but she fixed that...but…you already knew that." I swallowed again, but tasted no blood. It seemed that the nectar Chiron forced into me had finally kicked in. "What will you do," I asked, "If Bianca is killed? I won't be around to bring her back…not if I stay here. There's–"

"SHET UP!" The boy screeched, falling back against the door and sinking to the ground as his voice carried through the cell. I stared at him in silence, watching him burry his hands in his greasy hair. Lines marked his forehead as he knitted his brow as if contemplating some unthinkable act.

Finally he seemed to come to a solution and brought himself to his feet. "I don't trust you."

"Understandably, but–"

He held a finger up to silence me. Normally I would never obey to such demands, but I was in no position to have my normal dignity, so I nodded for him to continue.

"I don't trust you," he continued. "But you never know when I might be in need of a Titan," he half-smiled.

"Nico I–" I was about to tell him that I didn't understand. What was he trying to tell me? Then he took a step closer to me…and another…and another. Soon enough we were so close that I could feel his breath on me, but he still refused to meet my gaze. Reaching into his jacket pocket he produced a key and fit it snuggly into the lock on my ankle cuff. It was then that Nico di Angelo released me of my bonds and helped me to the cold, damp floor. My shoulders sagged deep into my torso and my knees curled into my chest. The bruises were still visible on my ankles and wrists, but I paid little attention to them as I stared in awe at the son of Hades.

"You owe me one," Nico reminded me before he vanished into the darkness.


	34. The Path to Freedom

**So I know it's been almost forever! But I got this job that I wasn't expecting (though I'm super happy about) and I've had barely any time for fanfics. So anyways here's the next chapter for all my fellow PJO fans. Oh, and for those of you that don't keep tabs up for PJO new, TSOM comes out Aug 16, 2013 (which is 5 months after they intended to release it :( Anyways, enjoy! R&R  
**

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The free reign of my limbs was now an oddity to my body. Too long had I hung there experiencing blow after blow of sheer pain and horror, too long had I been left alone and useless in this cell with no way to retaliate, but that was all at an end. Not even an hour after the son of Hades left did three more demigods take his place, but they were not dressed in that putrid orange colour. Rather they wore brown leather trousers and jackets with a golden emblem; a scythe crossing an hourglass; the Titan army travel attire. These were my men to command, not Chiron's to torment me with. Two of the three were boys in their late teens, early twenties with short brown hair and big black eyes; their features were so similar I could tell they were brothers without even looking into their pasts. The third was a muscular girl with shortly cropped and coloured hair, she had thick makeup smudged from so many days on the road. _What an idiot,_ I couldn't help but think.

They were murmuring to each other, but I couldn't catch any of their words, I could hardly lift my head to see them properly. It's surprising how fast one can go from being so healthy and strong to pathetic and weak.

"Well what are you doing just standing around there? Help me!" It's rare that I ask for assistance in anything, but when I do I can't simply make it polite, where's the respect in that?

"Oh yeah…sorry General," the girl rushed to my aid and slung one of my arms over her shoulder.

_General? I like that one! Did my father finally come to his senses and give his daughter a decent title? Or was this girl just off her rocker?_

I tried to walk on my own once she got me standing, but that proved dreadful for my fragile limbs.

"You alright?" The younger of the brothers asked me.

"Do I _look_ alright?" I snapped, but my voice was as weak as my limbs. "Let's just get out of here." I winced as I moved at just the right angle to irritate my wounds.

"Okay," the older boy began, unsheathing his sword and turning to the cell door. "We have a van waiting in the woods by the road. We –"

"Not the road," I cut him off.

"General?"

"We make a beeline to the woods. There's a rock formation…it looks somewhat like a thumb or sorts…"

"Zeus' thumb," the girl corrected. "That's what the campers call it, at least," she added when the brothers shot her a quizzical look.

"Yes," I breathed. "There's a passage…and a labyrinth…"

"A labyrinth?"

I was ready to snap at the boy for repeating me, but I was just not in the mood. "Yes. That's our escape. If we try to make it to the road we'll be caught like rabbits to a pack of wolves."

They nodded. "As you command."

"Amber; you've got Rebecca. Tony; you cover her from behind. I'll take the lead," the older brother ordered. "Let's go!" He opened the door carefully and we began our escape.

Reaching the top of the stairs the sunlight hit my eyes with such intensity that it hurt and I was forced to cover them. Once I was able to see again we were passing through the living room in the Big House; it was empty, almost too empty.

"We drew them out with a decoy ship at the beach," the girl explained. I nodded.

It was once we stepped outside that all Hades broke loose. There were only a few campers around attending to their daily routines, but all eyes turned to the group of Titans with their prisoner in tow.

"Run," the older brother ordered and we broke out into a sprint to the woods. Of course my run was more like a hop what with my various injuries, though they were not visible, they were dreadfully painful and with each movement I was forced to suppress a scream.

Arrows began to fly at us from various directions, a horn sounded in the distance, obviously signaling my escape. I could hear Tony behind us fighting off some unknown attacker. Amber beside me held her shield high as to potent me from the oncoming arrows, but in the process more of her flesh was revealed. And still we continued to run. I wanted to help, wanted to draw my sword and fight back. "My sword…"

"It's here," the girl replied. I hadn't even realized I had said it out loud, but my eyes flashed to her belt where the blue eyes on the hilt of Bluefire flashed at me. I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Keep going," the older brother shouted from in front after getting locked in a rather brutal fight with a slender girl with long flowing blond hair.

Amber and I ran on, Tony following; now shooting his own arrows at the oppressors. Amber hollered as an arrow skimmed across her side, but she did not stop.

Finally we reached the woods and the oldest brother had joined us, throwing a dagger as he threw himself into the cover of the trees.

"That way," I pointed.

"Go!" We bolted through the trees, campers hot on our trail. Amber and I were now in the lead, as we knew the way. Finally the rocks that my father had shown me came into sight and a sigh of relief passed over the group. Reaching Zeus' fist I told the brothers where to look for the delta symbol to open the door. Tony began to scan the rocks, looking very carefully. The sounds of the campers came from all directions.

"Hurry up," Amber urged him.

At this point the campers were in view and my heart was racing.

"Quickly!" I ordered.

"Found it!" Tony exclaimed. He pressed on the delta and the door slowly slid open.

The older brother was now frantically trying to fight off the campers as Tony attempted to yank the door open, but it came slowly. Soon enough there was enough space for Amber and I to squeeze in, she placed me on the ground as she helped Tony in.

"Jake, hurry up," Tony called to his brother just as a bola sent him tumbling towards the rocks. "NO!" Tony fell to the ground, frantically trying to awaken his brother into consciousness as the campers closed in on us.

"Tony no," Amber shouted. "It's too late, he's dead."

"No! NOOOOO!" The younger brother screamed as Amber hauled the wailing boy into the labyrinth and the door closed behind them.

We were in a dark corridor with brick walls and a dirt floor. The dim light of a torch was the only light in which I watched Amber comfort the still wailing boy.

"No! He can't be dead! We have to go back!" Tony protested, scanning the walls for another symbol.

Amber shot me a frightened look, not frightened due to the campers, but frightened for what I might do if his protest continued.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I spoke in a choked tone as I climbed to my feet, using the wall for support. "I promise you, we will revenge Jake's death. But the only way to do that is to reach Mount Othrys. We'll take the first exit we find and hail the Princess Andromeda. Alright?" I concluded with a more authoritative manner.

"Alright," the demigods nodded, Tony swallowing his tears and straightening up.

"Lead the way, General," Amber knelt and handed me Bluefire with such grace. Smiling a crooked smile I grasped the sword by its hilt and sheathed it in my belt, which miraculously had not left my possession.

…

For hours we aimlessly wandered the tunnels, keeping to the right whenever we reached a fork in the road. I wasn't even sure why I decided upon this trail, but it was the only plan I could come up with in my exhausted state. _How long has it been since I last ate? The bar back in San Francisco? How long ago was that?_

"Almost two months," Amber answered, after I voiced the question to her.

"_Two months?_" I wasn't sure why I was so surprised with the amount of time. Was I in worse shape than I thought? Had I forgotten something? _Did I tell Chiron our plan?_ I grew frantic; my breathing grew rapid and my pulse quickened. _Calm down Rebecca! Don't use your power!_

"General?"

Without realizing it, I had stopped in my tracks and was curled up against a wall shaking. "I-I'm fine," I managed, slowly rising to my feet, but I couldn't stop the shaking. My mind was in a complete state of shock. _Don't let it consume you,_ I told myself. _Keep going_. "Let's just get out of here."

Walking on the halls turned from brick to dirt, and the floors to rock. It came to the point that Tony had to support my weight, otherwise I could hardly move. Within a few hours of this arrangement, Amber watching our backs, we reached the most gorgeous door I had ever seen, carved with various paintings of Greek myths.

Amber shot me a hesitant look, I nodded, and she opened it. Once stepping through the threshold our path was blocked by the oddest sight. It was a man, a man with two heads. Well, technically one head, but instead of a line of hair he had a face on either side. He held a key, which he kept tossing from one hand to the other, which I assumed went to the equally gorgeous doors behind him.

"What'll it be, daughter of Kronos?" Both heads asked.

"The left door," the left head asked.

"Or the right?" The right head finished.

"Who are you?" I ordered, drawing Bluefire to the best of my ability.

"No need for that," the left head said pushing my blade down, an action of which I could not fight. "I am Janus. God of choices."

_Lovely! Just what I need, another god._

"So what'll it be? The left door?"

"Or the right?"

I saw Amber shoot me a horrified look, glancing eagerly around the god and again back the way we came. Ignoring her, I sheathed my sword and managed to stand without the aid of Tony's shoulders. My heart was still racing, there was no stopping that now, so I took a few deep breaths to attempt to calm myself and spoke in a clear calm voice. "To what choice do you refer?" Amber and Tony knotted their eyebrows out of confusion, but I ignored them, this was not their place to understand. I knew how the minds of these minor gods worked. What he said was simply a choice between doors was a much more imperative decision than that.

Janus tilted his head to the side, which looked odd considering the two faces. "Why do you ask what you already know?"

"Because I know that the time for decisions is not now," I tried to sound confident, but how could I when I knew what I said wasn't true. The time for decisions was now, and I had no idea what to do.

"Will it be your duty?" The left head asked.

"Or your emotions?" The right head countered.

There was no stopping it now. No matter how much I tried to calm myself my pulse continued to quicken, my body temperature began to rise; all that training gone to waste after a couple months of torture. My body began to slowly crumble to the ground as a high-pitched scream emanated from my mouth. The rattling of the key being tossed between Janus' hands reverberated in the cave. I heard Amber and Tony shouting my name over and over again as my vision began to blur and then it went blank.

…

"Have you ever thought about the future?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…when all this is over…Where will we be?" It was late afternoon on a hot summer night. Luke and I were sharing a post-raid drink aboard the Princess Andromeda. His eyes were looking particularly blue today with that cloudy grey smoke out of sight as he stared intently into my eyes.

"I rarely think about the future, Luke. I mean, I see it every time I look into your eyes." I grew defensive as I always did when having to speak of my power.

"I know that," he gave a weak smile, "But you can't see yours, can you?"

I shook my head.

"That's what I thought," he tapped the table at which we sat lightly and took a sip of his beer. "Come on, Rebecca. Fantasize for me. Ten years from now, where are we?" He smiles widely.

I tried to smile back as I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, Luke. You know I'm bad at this kind of stuff."

"Oh, come on!" He nudged my shoulder lightly. "Here, I'll go first. Ten years. So I'm 32, you're…27?"

I laugh, "Don't remind me."

"Okay. So, we're living in a bungalow in British Columbia, you're home country." We both smiled. "We have one beautiful girl, she has your lovely hair of course, and one boy."

"He has your eyes," I added. "The girl's name is Gwena, and the boy's name's Tristan."

"Tristan…I like that."

Our eyes lock again, both zooming back to earth from our fantasy world. He reaches across the table, grabs my head in his hands and pulls our lips together. No one dares stop us as we share kiss after passionate kiss. Between gasps of air he manages three words, "Our…room…now."

I laugh, "Whatever you say."

…

"General? General, wake up," Tony's strong arms shook me back into consciousness and away from the memory.

"W-what happened?" I asked, holding my pounding head.

"We reached this one room and your had a fit of something, almost as if you were talking to someone. Then you passed out. We tried carrying you, but you were trashing about and Amber's not doing so well."

I sat up to see the girl leaning against the cave wall, he hand gripping her side weakly.

"W-where are we?" I asked, managing to my feet.

"Still in the labyrinth," he answered. "But I found this hatch thing that leads…well, it looks like some kind of ranch or something."


	35. Addicted to Power

**Not much to say but Read, Review, & Recommend please! Oh, and most importantly; ENJOY! Oh, and I guess listen to 'What You Want' by _Evanescence_**

* * *

Of course I recognized the ranch the moment we crawled out into the green pastures.

"This is Triple G Ranch." Luke and I had agreed to use it as our food source to feed the thousands of hungry Titans about a year prior. Of course that was all over-the-phone business, I had never actually seen the ranch owner in person, and I did not expect such an inhospitable greeting.

"What are you lot of runts doing messing up my fields?" A tall man shouted to us from the other side of the fence. He wore a black cowboy hat and had a long white beard braided down the middle; just your run-of-the-mill hick father of time. "Get out of here before I send the flesh eating horses on you!"

"Must be Eurytion," I murmured to Tony, who was now supporting Amber's weight instead of mine. Her skin had gone a sickly pale white and her makeup-strewn eyes where sunken deep into their sockets. I couldn't help but wonder if I looked just as bad. "He's the hired-hand here. Geryon's the one we need to talk to."

"I mean it," Eurytion continued to shout at us. "I haven't fed them yet today, so they're _real_ hungry."

"We have business with your master," I shouted back at him, slowly approaching the fence. "My name is Rebecca Vise–"

"Don't know the name sweetie. You'd best–"

"_DAUGHTER _of Kronos," I finished in a perturbed tone.

At this the old man dropped his shoulders and merely stared at me for a moment before racing towards us and opening the gate in a flurry. "My apologies ma'am. I thought…I mean…There were rumors of your capture."

"I _was_ captured, you ignorant buffoon! But now I am free and have been wandering the Labyrinth _all day_. So if you _don't mind_ I would like accommodations for my men and myself."

"Yes of course. Wait a moment and I'll fetch the tractor to bring you back to the house." The man turned and sprinted in the other direction as fast as his burly legs could carry him.

"That's better," I smiled, which was seemingly more crooked than usual. This was not due to my villainous nature that others seem quick to note, but more so due to the pain in which my face muscles were in after the countless blows it had taken.

The moment that Eurytion came with the tractor I collapsed onto the ground of the wagon, dirtying my backside with straw and dirt, but I paid no attention to it. By the time we reached the farmhouse both Amber and I had given into our exhaustion, and Tony was not far from it. When the cow herder chimed, "We're here!" It was only with Tony's help that I could even limp out of the wagon and onto the porch to greet Geryon.

Now, considering I had never met the guy, I couldn't help but be a little startled with his appearance. Instead of your average redneck farmer with suspenders and filthy jeans Geryon was dressed more like a glorified cowboy. But unlike most cowboys he wore three jackets etched with detailed designs, which covered his three chests. Two burly arms hung from the outermost sides, with two armpits in the middle, and a head poking out the centre collar. I guess what really got to me wasn't the fact that his legs were completely disproportionate from his arms, but more so the extremely puzzling question of how he manages to get dressed in the mornings. Of course this was probably just my exhaustion mixed with my ADHD, but still...

"I must admit," the odd-looking man began, "I get a lot of visitors here, but never quite as high-ranked as yourself, General."

"Yeah yeah, enough with the flattery. I get enough of that from these two," I nodded in the direction of Amber and Tony. "I have recently come across a delay in my plans, and–"

"You can quit the cryptic speech kid. I know very well of your _delays_," the man spoke with such superiority I wanted to lunge at him, but my legs would not hold me.

"Very well," I croaked. "So you know the occurrences that have put me in such a state that I can hardly look you in the eye." I readjusted my positioning on Tony's shoulder causing me to wince in pain. "One night, that's all I ask. I will double your payment for a month. Allow us use of your medical supplies as well."

"My dear General, you embarrass me!" Geryon scoffed. "You are my guests here. Of course I will extend my full hospitality!"

The broadness of his smile and the gleam in his eyes took me aback. There was no way I could trust him, but what choice did I have? "Thank you, Geryon. I can assure you your kindness will be rewarded by this war's end," I nodded politely, or at least to the best of my ability. "Now if you could lead me to the nearest bed I would be very grat–" Suddenly copious amounts of blood came spurting out of my mouth as I began to cough uncontrollably. I knew my body was not in the best shape, but I had fought through it up until this point, and then I couldn't fight anymore. Somewhere between the coughing fit and my reeling headache I slunk in Tony's arms and my world grew blank.

...

Cool, fresh spring air is the one true escape from the busy city traffic. The newly sprouted grass yet to be cut down brushed against my legs as I progressed up the hillside. My hair blew lightly behind me, bouncing off my shoulders as I picked up speed.

"Come on Rebecca! Hurry it up, will you?" Alex's voice sounded from the top, his Quebec accent seeping through the words.

I looked up the see the blond boy, his freckles coming back after a cold Canadian winter, brought to life by the rising sun. His smile made me let out a slight giggle, "I'm coming, I'm coming."

By the time I reached the top he had already made himself quite comfortable in a shady spot under the tree. I took a seat beside him, letting the picnic basket we had prepared fall between us.

"Thank the gods, I'm hungry," Alex groaned, rummaging through the basket to pull out a peanut butter and banana sandwich, I pulled out my own. As we nibbled away at our lunch I found myself staring out at the horizon; the lake meeting sky, two worlds colliding.

"I wonder what it's like," Alex said whimsically.

"What?"

"Being free. Being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want, without any war or–"

"War? What are you talking about?" I urged.

"Oh–uh...I meant...this _war_ of being thrown from one group home to the next...I guess..."

"Yeah," I laughed, "I guess it kind of is like a war, eh?"

"Yeah..."

"I know what you mean. What I wouldn't give for a ship," I joined in his fantasy, staring at the open water. "One ship, the sea, and no one but me."

"But you'd get a bit lonely, wouldn't you?"

"Not really," I shrugged.

"Well I would! But with someone to share it with; someone that'll never leave you." I didn't realize it then, but it was me he was referring to. He had always wanted it to be just him and me, but of course I was too ignorant to notice.

"Tell me something Rebecca, do you ever think of the future?"

...

"Rebecca? Rebecca? Are you awake?" It was that always soft, always loving voice that drew me out of the darkness.

"Alex?" I croaked, my eyes slowly opening. When they finally adjusted to the light I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"No, it's me...it's Luke."

At these words I let my disappointment drain away to be replaced with pure elation. It was Luke! _He's here! This can't be real...but it is..._ "Luke?" I managed, eyes finally focusing in on him.

"Yes," he smiled, gripping my head in his hands as he peered into my eyes. _His eyes._ They were the same dazzling blue as ever, drooping from exhaustion, but they were the same. He stroked my bangs back with his finger, and I did likewise; his streaks of grey streaming through my fingers along with the blond. It was at this moment that I smiled; the first real smile since that day in San Francisco. I was happy, with Luke I would always be happy.

For a time we sat at my bed swapping stories, me of my time at camp, and Luke's time in the army. As it turned out it was Luke that talked my father into promoting me to General. As long as he was in Tartarus I was in charge. At the time being they were trying to persuade this dude named Antaeus to let them pass through his arena, something of which I was suppose to help him with. I'm pretty sure he said something else about this girl named Kelli being annoying, and some plans on the attack on camp, and that he was worried it would run in with his duty at Mount Othrys. "But I had a feeling you would be able to lead them by yourself with no problem, right?"

It took me a moment to respond at first. _Did he really just say that? Does he not realize what I've been through?_ My inner-monologue went off the hook until I couldn't keep it in any longer. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I snapped. "It's been two months Luke. _Two months_ since I've seen you, two months that I was locked away getting _tortured!_ The only thing that kept me going was the thought of seeing you again, but now...now you want to take that _away_ from me? How dare you!" By this point I was well out of bed and leaving as much space between us as the small room would allow.

"How dare_ I?_ How dare _you_! It's _me_ that's giving myself up to your father! It's _me_ that is sacrificing myself so that you can be happy and safe!" His voice grew to strenuous heights until the room was silent.

I broke the silence with a low, soft tone, "I am both happy and safe, Luke. As long as I'm with you." He looked so pained that I couldn't stop my feet from carrying me over to him, couldn't stop my hand from caressing his jagged scar, couldn't stop my lips from meeting his, and couldn't help it when he urged me under the covers with soft whispers of "I love you."

It was at that moment that I had it all; the army, Luke, the power, my health, the control. As happy as I was to have Luke back I couldn't help but rejoice in my new power, it was like a drug; the more I got, the more I wanted. With this power I could take Olympus, I could kill Percy Jackson, I didn't even need my father. "AHHHH! _Shit_!" A burning sensation in my shoulder shook me from my fantasies.

"What is it?" Luke sat up in the bed as quick as a leopard.

I sat up next to him, massaging my arm to bring back the feeling in it. "Nothing," I managed through clenched teeth. "Just my father reminding me of my duties."

"Oh." It was with those two letters that Luke and I were sucked back into the reality of our situation and I hauled my aching body out of bed and gathered the clothes that Luke had brought for me. I pulled on the tattered black shorts; a studded sword belt already fastened, and slipped my arms through a grey tank top and black collared vest. I smirked slightly at him, noting his success in maintaining my known appearance. Combing down my hair a bit I let Luke show me the way out of the guest room and into the sitting room in the farmhouse. Geryon was waiting there for us, along with the reimbursed Tony and Amber, sipping coca-cola tentatively.

"General," Tony and Amber nodded as I entered along-side Luke.

"Rebecca, so glad to see you're feeling better," Geryon greeted me, clapping his hands together, which surprisingly could reach over his three chests. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes," I said skeptically, "I did. But in the future I would have you refer to me as 'General' or 'my lady' if you would have it. Which, you would."

"Is that so?" Geryon asked, stroking his beard manipulatively.

"You better watch that tongue–" Luke threatened, unsheathing backbiter.

"That won't be necessary, Luke," I raised a hand to stop his sword, ready to use my power if needed. "Will it, Geryon?" Cocking my head towards the monster formed a lovely sensation of power in my blood; something I longed for lately.

"Now," I spoke, taking a seat in the armchair, which I had been leaning on. "If _someone_ could get me a drink, that would set things right."

At those words Tony shot up and raced in the direction, which I assumed the kitchen was in.

"Quite the ambitious kid you got there," Geryon noted, pointing in the direction the boy had vanished to.

I shrugged, "My men are eager to serve me."

"Now Geryon, before we take our leave we have some business to discuss," Luke said in his diplomatic tone, something I had helped him to perfect, taking a seat in the chair next to mine, a small coffee table in between us.

Growing impatient quickly, my eyes began to wander, I'd tell you what the place looked like, but honestly I was much too high on ambrosia and nectar to remember those fine details.

"You, out," Luke ordered, gesturing with his head to Amber. She made a small nod and went out the front door to sit on the deck. "Now, Geryon, you have contributed a great deal to our cause."

"I've provided you with much of your food supply," he sounded almost offended, for what reason I don't know.

"Something of which we are very thankful for, however…"

Glancing over at Luke I could tell right away that he could never tell Geryon what we needed; he was too afraid of him, but I'm not.

"However we are well aware of the number of demigods and monsters that pass through here regularly," I explained, knitting my hands together anxiously.

"Go on," at this point the odd three-bodied man almost seemed bored.

Raising an eyebrow I obliged, "We would like you to turn them over to us."

Sitting up in his chair Geryon attempted to tower over me. "You want me to…turn every single passer-byers to _you?_ May I ask why I would do that?"

"Because it is your duty to Lord Kronos," I somehow managed to suppress my rage.

Gracefully rising from his chair, Geryon slowly made his way over to where I sat. "No offence General, but your father is not my Lord," he attempted to stroke my cheek with his grimy hand, but I pulled away, letting the rage seep through.

Rising to my feet I spoke threateningly, "A denial such as that could land you a one way ticket to the Underworld, Geryon."

"Are you threatening me, girl?"

"If you need me to spell it out for you; yes, yes I am."

"I'll teach you–"

"Uh-uh-uh," I teased, wagging my finger and letting my heart-rate rise. Within seconds the Ranch owner was frozen in mid-sentence. "Don't you dare test me. I am the General of the Titan army for a reason, you ignorant buffoon," I cleared up as I drew Bluefire from its sheath, the eyes of the dragon ominously reflecting light off of my callused hands. "I've heard stories about you. They say you can't die because of your three hearts, I say fuck that! I think a simple slit to the throat should do it." Raising my blade so that the celestial bronze side burned against his neck I noticed the sheer fear in his eyes.

"Rebecca, stop!" Briskly spinning on my heel I noticed for the first time that Luke had risen from his chair and was staring at me with…was that disgust?

I smiled shrilly, and turned back to Geryon, who with a sigh of relief I let loose.

Falling back as far from me as possible he rubbed his neck where my blade had met his skin.

"Now. You _will_ do as I say, won't you?" I returned to my tactful voice, crossing my legs in the armchair.

He nodded, "Yes, of course."

"Good. Now Luke, go see what's taking that boy so long, I'm thirsty!"


	36. What The Future Holds

**Bet you thought I quit on you, eh? Well sorry to disappoint. I had a Writer's Craft course first semester so pretty well all my creativity was poured into that, leaving little room for fanfics :P So to add to the soundtrack search up "I Don't Care" by _Apocalyptica_.  
Well, here's chapter 36 (not sure how long Part 4's gonna turn out to be). Enjoy my fellow demigods!**

* * *

Leaving Triple G Ranch was probably the happiest day of my life. I had had more than enough of Geryon's constant whining and not-so-subtle hatred towards me. Grown men really don't like to be undermined by a mere fifteen-year-old girl, even when that girl is the daughter of the most terrifying Titan known to man. Geryon was prepared to send each and every demigod and monster that passed through his ranch our way; the more troops we had, the closer my father was to rising. Of course this joyous news also meant that I was that much closer to loosing Luke, possibly forever, and not to mention my power over the army.

Luke almost immediately wanted to take me to Antaeus so that I could persuade him to let us through his land. "You've always been good with that sort of thing," he tried to charm me into going.

"Listen Luke," I said, pausing as we journeyed through the labyrinth and gripped his hands in mine. "I'm tired, I just had to deal with Geryon, and not to mention Chiron. I want to rest. Let's go back to camp, go to our tent," a seductive smile played across my face as our bodies pulled each other together like opposite poles of a magnet.

A slight laugh came from his mouth as our lips drew closer and closer together, until a thought occurred to me.

"So what was this you were saying about that empousa?" I asked, releasing his hands from my grip.

Drawing his own hands protectively into his body Luke asked, "What empousa?"

"Oh please, like nothing happened between you and that slut Kelli?" I walked on, leaving him to race to catch up with me.

"Oh come on, Rebecca. You _know_ nothing happened…well maybe that once…but I'm over that. Look into my eyes, you can see I haven't done anything." The pleading note in his voice brought forth a slight giggle from me.

Pausing again, I turned to him and smiled, "I know, Luke. I know." Allowing him to kiss me finally I raised my voice, "Now come on. We have a long road ahead of us until we reach the exit."

…

Seeing the future really comes in handy when you're traveling though a perilous maze. Almost every time we came to a fork in the road I would simply turn to Amber or Tony and view their futures. Of course this trick only worked some of the time, for numerous times Amber and Tony were forced to slice the head off a monster or two, but soon enough we were heading straight for the light of day.

I can't seem to remember where it was exactly that we finally left the labyrinth, other than the fact that it was some huge city, luckily with a harbor-front. So as Luke went to send a message to the Princess Andromeda Tony located the nearest motel, where he rented out a room for us. Sure it was pretty grubby, startlingly similar to the one I met Bianca at a few months prior, but it was somewhere to relax without having to listen to Geryon's annoying banter.

Collapsing on the bed I snatched the remote off the nightstand and flicked on the old TV. Now there was something I hadn't done in awhile; actually sat down and flipped through the channels. Hades, I hadn't even done that much in most foster homes.

I settled on the News, where a young blond woman stood in front of a building roaring with flames. Crews of firefighters raced back and forth with hoses in a desperate attempt to put out the flames. The woman spoke, "–The fire started at six o'clock this afternoon and was noticed by the neighbors who had just returned home from work. Thankfully the family is said to be on vacation in Florida and left the house vacant. However, a young boy was spotted in the upstairs window seemingly playing with a dog, and was found mere moments ago by a firefighter who dared the flames. He has been taken to St. Anne's Hospital and is in life-threatening condition. This is…"

"What is this? Did we send a Hellhound after a kid or something?" I blurted out the moment Luke stepped in the door and spotted me on the bed.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

I pointed at the screen where the camera showed footage of the boy being wheeled into an ambulance, his tan face torn with claw marks and his golden hair scorched beyond belief.

Shifting my gaze from the television to Luke's face I couldn't help but note the guilty sheen in his eyes. "What did you do, Luke?" I inquired, swinging my legs around the bed to face him. When he didn't answer I raised my tone an octave, "What did you do?"

"Look, I don't want you to freak out or anything, but–"

"But what?" I cut him off sharply, a bitter tone seeping through my lips.

His eyes doubled in width as he listened to the newscaster's auto-tuned voiced. I watched as his lips separated in preparation to speak, but no words came out.

It was Amber who spoke first. "General," she spoke hesitantly, stroking her coloured hair out of her eyes. "The army has been increasing in numbers that far surpass any we could have estimated. It is not as easy as it once was to detain the troops. In your absence it became –"

"So you're trying to tell me," I raised my hand to silence her, "That without me you can't manage to keep _any_ order in the army? For that matter, since when did it become _your_ responsibility to keep order, Amber Marsh?" I turned to Luke accusingly, "Luke, care to explain yourself?"

With a cool scoff and a flick of the hair Luke returned to his regular chill self. "Calm down, Rebecca. You're making a fuss over nothing."

"Nothing?" I rose from my place on the bed to confront my so-called boyfriend in a battle of wits. "Are you saying that this is nothing? Are you honestly trying to tell me that the life of a half-blood is worthless? You sound just like the gods!" The words escaped me that I knew would hurt Luke the most. "You," I spoke harshly, pointing an angry finger at Amber and Tony. "Out. Now."

As soon as the door shut behind them I cornered Luke. "What's happened to you, Luke? Has my father poisoned your mind to the extent that your very thoughts are his? Has he already taken over so that you don't care about anyone anymore? So that you don't care about me?"

I was seconds away from voicing my own idea of ruling to Luke; no gods, no monsters, just us, but Luke was already far past that ideal of salvation. How the mighty have fallen.

I looked into his eyes; I saw his dreadful past, his excruciating present, and worst of all, his inevitable future.

Alex's words from all those years ago echoed in the back of my mind, "Do you ever think about the future, Rebecca?" Though the question remained the same the answer had vastly changed.

Yes, I did think of the future and if mine reflected the one that I saw in Luke's eyes, or, that is, the lack of it.

With my words the anger in Luke's face loosened, his narrowed eyes widened as he gazed at me sympathetically.

"How can you bare to think that, Rebecca? Of course I care about you. I'll always care about you. Even when my body is gone and my soul is left to wander the Underworld, I will care for nothing else but you." With these words he reached out to me with tender arms and pulled my rigid body towards his. His hands gently caressed my shoulders, tracing the mark of the Watcher. His lips brushed against mine, his hands found their way down my sides and underneath the fabric of my shirt. All the while I merely stood there, eyes fixed on the TV screen.

His head nuzzled my chin as he began to plant various kisses up my neck. "I love you," he whispered between gulps of air.

"In a few months you'll be gone," I found myself answer.

"Then let's live for the present," he answered to my solemn tone. "I want you to always have a part of me."

We spoke no more as I succumbed to his loving embrace. I began to return his kisses, first softly and then increasing in ferocity. I raised my arms as he pulled my shirt over my head and undid the button to my shorts.

Within moments we were under the covers, our bodies merged in one never-ending array of lust. We were one in the same, entangled like a ball of twine.

With each passing second a single prayer rag through my mind, _Please don't take him away from me._ But a prayer like that goes unheard when the only one listening is the very source of my nightmares.

…

The Princess Andromeda. How I loathed even the mention of that accursed ship. As long as my father remained comatose I was the leader upon that vessel. My power resided over all, even Luke, but that power was only temporary. As soon as Kronos rose the title given to me would be useless. If I were to change that I needed to act quickly. Convincing everyone of my leadership was the easy part. The true task resided in proving my stature over my father's.

I was powerful, that went without question, but he was a god. His power would forever surpass mine tenfold. The answer was simple; I needed to amplify my powers. But how?

My mind raced back to the previous winter when I had joined forces with Biance di Angelo. Death was usually not so lenient as it was that day in the junkyard. _Was the di Angelo kid onto something? If so, and my powers truly amplified in the presence of a demigod of the Big Three…_

It seemed I was closer to a solution than previously thought.

…

(Bianca's POV)

Going to the Underworld was not entirely on my bucket list, nor was being used as bait to capture Kronos's daughter, but somehow both events perspired. The final loathing glare Rebecca shot me before her containment plagued me with chronic guilt. I was a traitor. That was what Artemis deemed me when she caught wind of my allegiance with the Titan, but she gave me a chance to redeem myself so I took it. No shame in that, right?

So why was it that every time I looked in mirror and saw a hunter I felt nauseous? Here I was playing Artemis's game of house as Rebecca suffered day after day. Who knows what kind of a mess I put her in, she could be dead, or worse. The latter was not hard to image as her father was chopped into a million pieces and thrown in Tartarus. What horrid fate had I condemned her to?

At that moment the curtain to my tent flew open in a flurry of white and in stormed Thalia Grace; lieutenant Thalia Grace, that is.

Her electric blue eyes looked stormy in the shadow of the cloth. Her fists were clenched as she made her way towards me, eyes ablaze with pure anger.

"Where is she?" She ordered, taking my arms in a death-grip.

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened as she pressed me further into he tent and hoisted my small body upon the support beam. "I-I'm sorry..." I stuttered. "But I don't-"

"Cut the crap, di Angelo!" She snapped. "Rebecca. She escaped camp. Where is she?"

A weight suddenly vanished from my shoulders. _She escaped? She's gone? She's safe_. "What?" I played on my surprise, attempting to mask my joy within shock. "I didn't know, lieutenant. I swear I have no idea where she is."

Thalia's eyes bore deeper and deeper into mine so that I swear I saw lightning flicker in them. "Fine. I believe you. It seems the titan hasn't corrupted your mind as I feared."

"Thank you, lieutenant. I-"

"But it is not me who needs convincing."

"Pardon?"

"The lady Artemis will require your complete allegiance and proof of it."

"Proof? But, I've already spoken the vow. I assisted in her capture. Does she-"

My words were cut short by a great gust of wind hurtling through the tent and in-stepped the lady Artemis. She was dressed in her normal silver attire with her long auburn hair braided in a sort of crown and adorned with a circlet. Though her appearance was of a fourteen year-old girl she portrayed an aura of power and seniority which one could not ignore.

"My lady," I let my body fall into as deep of a bow as I could manage, keeping my head low in shame.

"Your actions are unforgivable, Bianca do Angelo. You fraternized with the enemy, a crime punishable by death. You have betrayed my trust and the trust of all the hunters."

My heart pounded with each word she spoke. I could feel my eyes begin to water as I fell to my knees and begged, "I am so very sorry, my Lady. I shouldn't have done it. I know that. I was merely thinking of my brother. I needed to get back to him, to see him one more time. Please forgive me. I'm begging you. Please don't leave my brother all alone with no one."

Artemis held out a hand to stop my pleading. "I will not kill you, Bianca di Angelo. In fact, I am willing to reinstate you as one of my hunters-"

"Oh thank you, Lady Artemis! I don't know-"

"On two conditions," she continued.

"Yes," I nodded. Anything you ask I will do."

"First of all you are never to speak to a man again."

I nodded. That was not so hard, that was part of the oath.

"This includes your brother. You are never to see or communicate with him ever again. You will be dead in his eyes. You will have died in the junkyard."

"What?" My voice cracked. "But I–I can't leave N –" Tears streamed down my face as she continued. _What else could she want? What could be worse than a life where my brother thought I was dead?_

"And secondly, you must kill Kronos's daughter, Rebecca Vise."


	37. A Battle of Wits

**Hey there! Didn't take me forever this time, eh? Anyways, I'm slightly in a rush so sorry for my poor editing job  
****Enjoy!**

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(Rebecca's POV)

"The sarcophagus is in place, General," Agrius informed me when Oreius and him entered the throne room upon Mount Othrys.

I sat in the secondary seat aside my father's, head held up merely by my hand. For hours I had been forced to listen to a never-ending line of Titan soldiers with their various announcements and predicaments. That sort of tedious work was not designed for someone with ADHD. Not only did the hard throne hurt my backside but the echo gave me the most atrocious head ache, but still I labored on in vain attempt to win the favor of my men.

"Yes, very good," I managed as a reply to the bear-man.

"Is there anything else you would have us do, General?" Orieus asked, keeping his stature proper but not dating to meet my gaze; a true sign of respect. Now these two I could get on my side, I was preparing to ask the two to swear on the Styx, but something stopped me.

My gaze drifted for a moment over to Luke who stood precariously by my father's throne, not willing to sit in it, but not daring to leave my side.

"No, that'll be all," I waved the brothers out of my presence.

"Next," I called but the room remained empty. The doors swung slightly from the bear-men's exit but no one entered.

Finally in-stepped a girl with mangled coloured hair, Amber. "That's all for today, General," she assured me.

"Very good. You may go."

Without another word the girl exited the throne room leaving me alone with Luke.

As soon as the doors came to an ultimate close I let myself fall back in my seat and sighed, "Thank the gods that's over!"

Without warning I felt a strong grip on my shoulders and Luke's fingers began to massage my tense muscles. "I thought you handled that perfectly."

"Thanks," I frowned letting Luke's hands release me as I rose to my feet. "I should get going. There's work to do."

"Do you mean you've thought about Anteus?" Luke asked, excitedly following me as I strode towards the doors eyes wandering as I admired the craftsmanship of the ever-expanding castle.

"Of course I've thought about it, Luke, but I'm sure you don't need me for such a petty little thing like that." I smiled playfully.

"Petty? You think what I'm doing is petty?" His brow furrowed as he turned on me cutting me off. I watched as his fists grew white with frustration. "Are you aware that my actions are to ensure Kronos can rise?"

"Of course I'm aware of that!" I answered harshly but without letting my voice rise. Where was this anger of his coming from?

"Then you know very well that for your future to be you need to help me."

"Excuse me? I don't _need_ to do anything, Luke. And you have no right to speak to me with such disrespect."

"No right?" Luke's sky-blue eyes turned a sickly shade of grey like the sea before a storm. "Need I remind you that I went in the Styx to ensure that your father could use me as a host?"

"I am the General of this army!" My voice began to rise uncontrollably.

"And I thought you loved me!"

My heart sunk. "Oh yeah? Well I thought the same. I guess I was wrong."

With that I stormed out of the throne room leaving Luke alone.

…

Men? Self-absorbed rodents with a single mind-set, is more like it! Life would be so much easier without them. I've never liked the hunters, but I'll give them that one. Though in my anger I still found myself searching for Bianca's brat of a brother; Nico di Angelo. I needed to get out of this grave that Luke and Kronos had dug for me, and I needed his help to do it. I couldn't live under my father's rule, at least, not as he intended me to. Perhaps I was letting my anger get the best of me when I thought I could over-power a Titan. However, if I could show him just how powerful I was he would not be so likely to use me as yet another pawn on his chessboard.

As I strode towards my corridors in the great palace I could feel my necklace bouncing against my chest, the ticking of the clock only half the pace of my heart. The first step was to find Nico, only then could my journey to power begin.

My corridors were set up in the same manner as the command tent at the desert camp. The camp had been relocated here in my absence, and most of it converted into the palace. In the centre of the back wall was the king size bed Luke and I shared, hidden behind a sheer red curtain. Next to the bed was the dark oaken bedside table where I kept my few possessions.

Opening up the small cupboard door under he table I shifted my personal stash of ambrosia to the side so that it sat beside an old book. As I reached to grab a single drachma from the back of the cupboard I found myself instead grab hold of the book and pull it out. Swinging my body around I rested my back against the bed and opened to the first page of the tattered book. It was completely blank except for the handwriting in the top right corner.

_To Alex Rideau, _

_May your aim remain true. _

_Apollo._

I had found that book among Alex's few possessions when I returned to the Titan camp that tragic day so many years ago. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since the last time I spoke to the son of Apollo.

A lifetime since I held his bloody body in my arms. A lifetime since that cheeky glow of his lighted up even my darkest days. A lifetime since he had given his own life to save Luke. That time flew by like a leaf on the wind.

Continuing to flip through the pages I found numerous poems of heroism, tragedy; pretty well your typically poetry book.

"Rest in the sea, and see the sun rise..." I read quietly from the book. As my hands followed an invisible path through the book, flipping page after page, I couldn't help but notice a piece of paper shoved in between two pages. Unfolding the sheet I found printing scribbling in pen, as if the writer had an idea and was rushing to get it down on paper. I could only assume the sloppy printing to be Alex's. Curiosity overwhelming me I read, "_A Half-Blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds_..._a single choice_..._Olympus to preserve or raze_." My eyes darted to the door as I heard footsteps, but no one entered. Flipping the page over I found yet another hastily written paragraph:

_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call._

_To storm or fire the world must fall._

_An oath to keep with a final breath._

_And foes bare arms to the Doors of Death._

"What on earth...?" I breathed just as man's voice boomed in the hall.

"REBECCA!" It was unmistakably Luke; his voice thick with anger.

Remaining silent I returned the book to its place in the cupboard and snatched a few drachmas before shutting it.

By the time Luke entered the room I was already on my feet. "What are you doing?" He asked, hands notably in fists.

"What I'm doing is none of your concern, Luke. Of have I not made myself clear on that subject?" Snatching my leather jacket from its place on the door I threw it on and shoved the paper, which I realized was still in my hand, in the pocket.

"And where exactly do you think you are going?" He ordered, taking hold of my upper arm. His blue eyes turned a sickening shade of grey so that they matched the startling streak in his hair.

"Let go of my arm, Luke," I managed through clenched teeth.

"Or what?" He countered, gripping my arm with increasing force.

No words were necessary. I merely raised my free hand slightly in the direction of his neck.

"You would use your power against _me_?"

"I will use my power against anyone who gets in my way. Now step aside."

And so I was off. Leaving Luke alone in our chamber with a bitter sense of desertion and betrayal lingering in my gut.

(Nico's POV)

Why can't everyone just leave me alone? Or haven't I given enough to the gods? I kept reminding myself that Bianca was alive; I hadn't lost her in the junkyard as I had previously thought, but was she really better off? Who knows what Artemis had made her endure as punishment. _She shouldn't even be punished,_ I thought, _All she did was follow Rebecca to the Dam and fight a few skeletons. Who wouldn't do that? _

I still couldn't understand what her crime was, even after she explained the situation to me.

It wasn't long after I had left Camp Half-Blood that she contacted me. I was hiding out in an abandoned warehouse when suddenly a shimmering screen appeared before me with the image of my sister staring back at me.

"Bianca?" My voice wavered from both shock and the cold. "I–I though you were d–dead…"

She smiled back at me, her hunter clothes were tatted and charred and her hair was a complete disaster. "I know," was her reply. "I was…Until Rebecca brought me back."

"Rebecca…?"

Her eyes were wide and her voice took on a more serious tone. "Look, Nico, I don't have much time." Her eyes kept darting to a door behind her. I didn't understand what she was all worried about. She seemed to be in some sort of five-star hotel with canvases scattered throughout the room.

"What? W–where are you?"

"I'm at a mortal's place," she answered quickly. She must have noticed my confused face as she quickly explained, "She sees through the mist, she helped me escape…Look, Nico, I really don't have time. Just listen. No one can know that I'm alive. I already contacted Artemis and she's ready to give me a full pardon if–"

"A full pardon?" I cut in. "For what? What did you–"

"Please Nico! I'm going to help Artemis capture Rebecca, but I don't think I'll ever have a chance to talk to you again."

My jaw dropped, I could feel water pooling in my eyes.

"Artemis hates men, and technically I shouldn't have ever been able to talk to you, but Artemis made an exception because you're my brother. But now…"

"Bianca…" A single tear streamed down my face, I tried to snuff it back in, but it was already gone.

Footsteps could be heard from her end of the message. "I'm sorry Nico, but I have to go. Just promise me you won't come find me."

"But…Bianca…I can't–"

"Promise me!" She said more urgently.

"Fine."

"Thank you. I love you, Nico. No matter what happens, you'll always be my little brother," I could see the hurt in her eyes. Bianca had always tried to be the strong one, but I knew she couldn't hold back her feelings forever.

"But–"

"Good-bye." Casting a hand through the image my sister disappeared and I was left all alone.

...

So there I was, lounging on a park bench in Nashville, Tennessee when yet another Iris Message appeared before me, however to my dismay this one was not from my sister.

"Nico di Angelo," the ominous golden eyes of Kronos' daughter started back at me.

"Rebecca. What do you want?" As I spoke to the demigod–demititan…er…whatever, tourists continued to pass, admiring the various statues of country legends. Who know what the mist perceived the IM as–perhaps a laptop, or a cell phone. It was probably best not to think too hard on the subject.

"I believe I owe you a debt," Rebecca continued, her hair reminded me or dried blood, a sickly shade between red and brown.

"Yeah, so?"

"_So,_" her tone was sharp and yet somehow smooth, like a snake. "I do not like to be in someone's debt. Particularly a half-blood such as yourself."

"And what is that suppose to mean?" I sneered, grabbing hold of my stygian iron blade out of habit.

"Never you mind that. The point is I wish to offer you something. Protection. A place in my army. I will ensure your safety as well as a place for you when this war is over."

"And why would I ever join you?"

"Because if you do, I will help you find your sister," she smiled. "So Nico," she breathed, "Do we have a deal?"

Everything anyone had ever told me about Rebecca came rushing back in waves. "She can't be trusted." "She's plays tricks with your mind." "She's a murderer."

It was like she had a big warning sign plastered to her face:

WARNING: MURDEROUS LUNATIC!

But she knew things, things that no one else should possible know, and she was smart. In short, she was the one person who could help me find my sister.

So without any more persuading or tricks I found myself utter a single word that would change everything: "Yes."


	38. Lost Souls

**So I realize that I haven't posted anything in awhile and I felt bad leaving you guys with nothing, so even though I wanted to add more to this chapter before posting it I figured it's better to give you guys something. If you're a fan of the di Angelo's then you should be a fan of this chapter! Enjoy!  
Soundtrack: "Gollum's Song" from Lord of the Rings  
**

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(Rebecca's POV)

Terror. Being the daughter of Kronos you would think I would know the meaning of the word. But after all I had been through nothing could compare to the terror I saw as soon as I looked into Nico di Angelo's eyes. The kid was only eleven years old and he had already lost so much. The rollercoaster of his past took me back to Washington DC decades ago, where he sat as a small child on his mother's lap. The woman rocked him back and forth soothingly as the young Nico wailed. His sister, Bianca, stared out the window at the streets where people ran in horror to find shelter. The sky was dark with ash and smoke.

"The war's getting closer," Bianca cried.

The image faded in a gust of smoke and I was in a hotel lobby. It must have been a few years later because Nico looked almost the same as he did that day, his crooked eyes glaring up at his older sister quizzically. The war raged outside; the sound of gunshots echoed throughout the hotel, dust clouds formed as soldiers ran past trying to avoid the enemy fire.

Next to the siblings stood a rather stout, but broad man with a scruffy black beard. He wore a long black and red cloak that I recognized merely from a dream of mine a few years back.

"Where's mom?" Bianca asked, staring up at the god of the Underworld.

Hades glanced at the stairs expectantly. "She's coming," he assured the children, though his tone wasn't very convincing.

For a time I merely stood there watching the three of them wait, but no one came.

"This is ridiculous!" Hades finally announced making his way over to the stairs. "Maria," he called, but there was no answer. Glancing back at the children the god saw what I saw; a bright ball of lighting came hurtling down from the sky towards the hotel. "NO!" The god called, racing over to shelter the children just before the hotel was completely obliterated.

The smoke of the wreckage gathered around me only to be swept away once more. It sent me through a whirl-wind or Nico's life; he stood in the pastures or Camp Half Blood, skeleton warriors rising at his command, he wielded his stygian iron sword outside the Empire State Building. Then the image took on a different light, a dark loom, there was no smoke this time, only a dark power weighting around me. This was the Underworld, of that I was certain, but it was nothing like the Underworld I had seen in my visions before. I could just make out the figure of Nico lying on his side, a look of pure fear in his eyes. I tried looking up, but saw nothing but darkness. Glancing around I saw thousands or beady yellow and green eyes peering out of the darkness, eyeing Nico like he was a piece of raw meat.

_Don't worry daughter of Kronos,_ a voice came out of the darkness. It was not my father's, nor any monster or god I had come across in the past, but a woman's voice, an ancient power looming in the darkness. _Your time will come. The future you seek will be within your grasp…in time._

With a jolt I was back in reality.

My vision was blurry for a second, were it not for the maple tree behind me I would have surely fallen flat on my back.

"So?" Nico looked at me mystified. "Do you believe me now? Do you understand what they're going to do to Bianca?"

For a minute I forgot the reason I had come here, forgot that I had agreed to help him find his sister. There were much more pressing issues than reuniting a couple of kids, but then again if one of those kids could help me gain power that I wanted, then perhaps it was worth it, even if Bianca was already dead.

"Yes," I answered, gaining my balance once again.

"And you'll help me rescue her?"

"If you help me, that is," I reminded him.

At this Nico rose to his feet, glaring at me with those dark brown eyes of his. "Remember who saved who from Chiron's prison, Rebecca. You owe _me_. Not the other way around." His hand moved to the hilt of his sword, beginning to unsheathe it. As intimidating as the sight might have seemed–an emo kid decked out in an aviator's jacket, skull ring on his finger, and sword at his hip–I wasn't scared in the slightest.

Barely raising my hand I made my heartbeat quicken and my blood heat up to morph the net of time that was woven around the son of Hades. "You're not thinking fourth dimensionally, boy. You can think whatever you will, but I can kill you at any moment." On that happy thought I released the boy from his frozen state and leaned serenely against the maple tree.

Stepping closer to me Nico angled his chin up and spoke through clenched teeth, "Threaten me as much as you want, but if you wanted to kill me you would have done it already."

"Right you are there, bud. Now what do you say we find a less conspicuous place to have this discussion?"

…

Okay, so perhaps trying to trick a son of Hades wasn't my best idea ever, but at least I had convinced him to travel with me. With him my powers doubled, maybe tripled. I wasn't sure the extent of them yet, perhaps it would increase my endurance; make me capable of using my powers for an extended period of time. _Talk about a good battle tactic,_ I thought as Nico and I crept in the shadows of a Nashville alleyway.

As a preteen I always wanted to go to Tennessee, not Nashville obviously, country music is atrocious! But I had an odd obsession with Elvis and the other rock n` roll legends of Beale Street. I had finally managed to get down there only so I could hunt down the damn Hunters. Talk about ironic.

Finding the Hunters was the easy part; Artemis had scouts all over the country in wait of the coming war. The difficult part was to convince them to lead us to Bianca. Of course if I could simply see into their past my job would be made much easier, but Artemis of course had to warn her puppets.

Freezing time became much easier as I grew accustom to Nico's presence. So once I caught sight of the girl in silver it was only a matter of getting her into the alleyway, and then she was all mine.

Slowing down my heart rate I released the girl from her frozen state. She glanced around long enough to see the double-plated blade of Bluefire, pressed hard against her neck, as well as Nico and I watching carefully over her. Of course the second she caught sight of me her eyes flashed shut and she cried, "Please! Don't hurt me! Let me go! I'm worthless! Please–"

"Oh, shut it!" I ordered, pressing my blade closer to her neck. "I'm not going to kill you. I need something from you."

Her eyes remained screwed shut, body curling up into a tight ball against the red brick behind her.

"Where's Bianca?" Nico chimed in. He kept his distance from the girl, not because he was afraid of her, or so it seemed, but because he feared what I was capable of. Perhaps is he kept his distance my cruelty would not be as real to him.

"I don't know!" She squealed all-too-quickly.

"Don't lie to me," I sneered in her ear. "I know Artemis doesn't keep secrets from her hunters. Where is she? At the main camp I'm guessing, probably under close guard."

She began shaking her head violently. "No, you're wrong!"

"She's dead then?" I persisted. There was no way I was letting her go without an answer.

"No!"

"Where is my sister?" Nico ordered, leering over the frightened huntress. It was then that I realized how young this girl was. She must have only been twelve when she became a hunter, based on her pudgy face and small hands. She was twelve, Nico was not even eleven, and then there was me; an old hag at fifteen. That was the problem with this sort of life, you were lucky if you made it past your twentieth birthday. I was fast approaching that day, and in less than a month I would be sixteen. I had heard tales of other powerful demigods reaching sixteen, and every time it resulted in more dread. My sixteenth birthday was one of the many things keeping me up at night. What awaited me on that seventeenth day of June? What battles would I fight? What would I gain? What would I loose?

"She's alive," the hunter said,

"What?"

"Bianca is alive," her breathing slowed from its rapid pace, eyes twitching underneath her lids.

"Oh, for Zeus's sake open your eyes!" I sighed, lowering my blade from her neck.

No argument was given. Realizing the absence of Bluefire the huntress opened her eyes, but still avoided my gaze, "She's alive, and with Artemis."

"Where?" Nico's voice cracked with the word.

The huntress shook her head. "No! I won't say any more! I will not defy my lady!"

"Well you better learn to," my hand gripped Bluefire again tightly. "That is, if you want to live."

"Kill me then!" She whimpered. "Peirce your blade through my chest and end this nonsense, for I will_ never _tell you anything!"

"You said it, not me," I shrugged unsheathing my blade once more and sliced the girl's throat. A splatter of blood stained my sleeve as the flesh tore apart and the tears in her eyes ran their path down her cheeks as they slowly began to loose colour. Her pupils went wide, then narrow until they were blank. There was nothing that remained of the huntress but a body and blood.


	39. To Stand Alone

**Hey there lovely readers! So between work and all else I got another chapter for y'all! R&R if you will and if you want an opinion in where this one's going answer the poll on my profile page! Enjoy!**

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"Great! Now how are we going to find Bianca?" Nico threw his arms in the air, frustrated.

"Oh calm down!" I sighed, wiping my blade on my already-bloodied sleeve. "Take a seat and relax."

"Relax? How am I suppose to relax after–"

"After I killed her," I nodded my head towards the body of the huntress. "It's not that big of a deal. Just let it serve as a reminder to you."

"A reminder of what?"

Before I could even open my mouth the wind changed and a mystic fog set over the alleyway, coating the ground and the air so that I could only just see Nico's form three feet in front of me.

"What is it?" Nico asked as I rose to my feet, hand gripping my sheath.

"That is what I was waiting for."

"You are much too vain, daughter of Kronos," Artemis's voice echoed through the fog from what seemed to be every direction. "You cannot outsmart me, and you will not sour any more half-blood's minds."

I glanced jokingly at Nico, "I guess she's talking about you." Raising my voice to the smoke I spoke to the goddess, "The boy and I made a deal, Artemis. Something that is far beyond your comprehension, I know. All we want is Bianca-"

"Then you should not have murdered my hunters," she interrupted my word bitterly. Then a familiar whistling sound came from behind. I turned just in time to spot a silver arrow hurtling towards me. I froze. I could feel the metal still cold against my back from my last encounter with Artemis. This was not going to happen again.

Without any more hesitation I threw my body down to the ground out of the arrow's line of target. Milliseconds later another arrow came from the opposite direction towards me. I managed to duck just before the arrow embedded itself into the brick wall where my head had been.

"Okay, time to go," I breathed as another volley came hurtling towards us.

"What?" Nico still seemed a little shocked at the dead huntress and her pool of blood that receding towards him. "Can't you just freeze her or something?"

"She's a goddess," I winced as an arrow grazed my thigh. "I'm doing my best, but we have to get out of here!"

"Right," the son of Hades nodded agreement and rose to his feet. "This way!" He started towards the brick wall as if ready to take a trip to platform 9 ¾.

"What are you doing?" I screeched, drawing Bluefire to shield myself from yet another volley.

Frozen in fear Nico stared for a moment at the sword and then grabbed my left wrist. "Come on!" With that we raced towards the shadow of the wall, the fog growing heavier around us. A high screeching sound signaled another volley of arrows and Artemis's voice cried out, "You can't run forever Rebecca! The gods will find you and you will suffer."

I was tempted to yell back a witty retort, but thought better of it. The wind of an arrow brushed just in front of me but then the world around me went dark and suddenly I could feel my stomach lurching up my throat and my lungs doing loop-d-loops in my chest. The alley vanished and I found myself soaring through a spiraling tunnel in which I couldn't determine which way was up and which was down. Nico's hand gripped my wrist startlingly tight although I couldn't see him in the slightest. I couldn't even see my own hands nor could I think much beyond the present.

The next thing I knew my feet stumbled upon some sort of surface and my body fell to the ground as I failed to maintain any sort of footing.

"What the Hades was that?" I groaned as I rose to my feet, already feeling the bruises forming on my side along with a slight but not futile stream of blood from where the arrow had grazed my tigh.

"Shadow Travel," Nico breathed. He stood a few feet away from me, his dark eyes staring at something far off in the distance and his legs swaying as if dancing to some soothing music.

Unaware of what shadow travel exactly was I was prepared to ask him, but instead shrugged it off and took a moment to survey the area. We were in another alleyway in some American city I didn't know the name of. On the streets people continued their day-to-day errands, all in a hurry, all too busy to notice what was going on all around them. _This is why I hate mortals_, I told myself, then something occurred to me.

Spinning on my heel I faced Nico and asked, "Why are we here?"

His eyes burned at me irritably, "You said you wanted out of there, so here we are!"

"Okay, fine! Just something feels off." I began to run my finger across the brick, impatiently searching for something to stand out, but there was nothing. Perhaps it was just my paranoid self, or perhaps it was my father trying to tell me something. I turned back to Nico for an answer, but that's when I noticed it for the first time. The lower part of his jacket was soaked red with blood. My eyes drifted down to his hand, which held a silver arrow of Artemis dripping with fresh blood.

The anger in his eyes turned to pure pain and terror. "I don't understand," he uttered before falling to the ground, head bashing against the cold cement. "I thought…gods can't attack…" The wound seemed to ail him suddenly and excruciatingly.

"Gods aren't supposed to attack before a demigod?"

He nodded.

"I know. But it would seem the gods are bending the rules for me."

"Yeah," Nico choked as he began coughing deep raspy coughs. It was when I saw him wipe a speck of blood from his face that I realized this was the end for the son of Hades.

"Put pressure on the wound, it'll slow the bleeding," I told him half-heartedly as I rose to my feet and again scanned the walls for a sign. "I'd help, but that would only be a waste of energy."

"W–what?" His face grew pale as his eyes followed my pace. "But…Bianca–?"

So the kid wasn't all that stupid. He had realized my intentions before I was even sure of them. "Oh please!" I scoffed. "You really think I cared about that brat? She betrayed me the first chance she got."

"But…what about the power? I–"

"_You_ have proven to be more of a hassle than you're worth. I will just have to kill your sister the next time I see her and get it over with, and you," I scanned his weakened body for some remnants of fight left in him, but all pride had left those wild eyes. "Well, you'll be dead within the hour." Suddenly a small carving in the brick caught my eye just next to Nico's sprawled out body. "Ah, here we are!"

"I hope the gods keep coming after you Rebecca," he snarled.

"Uhu, sure bud." Resting my palm against the brick a small symbol shone underneath it. It was a Greek delta, the symbol of Deadalus; the creator of the great Labryinth.

"I hope they kill you slowly and painfully, or make you rot in their dungeons for all of eternity."

"Save your breath, Nico. You only have so much of it left." Releasing my hand from the brick the wall swung open to reveal a long narrow passageway dimly lit with a row of torches fastened to the walls.

"May you lose your way and be trap–"

I never would know what Nico's dying words were, for his voice grew weak and quiet, and the door to the Labryinth closed quickly and surely behind me.

With heavy steps I found myself remove one of the torches from the wall and progress further down the tunnel into the mysteries of Deadalus's creation. I had little reason to be afraid. It was my own army that used these tunnels for transportation, in this way we planned to attack Camp Half-Blood, and it was using these tunnels that I had escaped Camp Half-Blood not too long ago.

…

(Luke's POV)

"So what if she's angry with you?" Kelli, the empousa screeched in my ear as I stared reluctantly at Kronos's sarcophagus. "She left! It's been almost a month and there's been no word. Who cares if she lives–"

"I care!" I snapped, turning to her abruptly. "And so should you! She is your General!"

Kelli scoffed, "She is no General. She is merely the product of our lord's mistake."

"ARRGGGHHH!" I found myself shout as I drew my blade from its sheath and sliced the empousa's head clean off her body. The flames from her hair danced around the metal like fireworks before extinguishing.

_There is nothing wrong with killing a monster,_ I reminded myself for the thousandth time. If I was to host the Titan Lord then I would be slaying many more creatures like Kelli in the following months. The day rapidly approached that I would sacrifice myself to allow Kronos to rise. I knew I had to do it, I had been preparing for it for years now. This was the path that the fates had laid out for me and I must walk it, even if that meant giving up all I loved. I had already given up camp and Annabeth and Thalia. All that I had left was Rebecca, but since our last argument I wasn't sure if I even had her anymore. Sure, we had managed to get past Anteus's arena without her, even though it meant dealing with the brat Percy Jackson. The events at the arena burned a whole deep in my mind, planting themselves permanently there, but the most prominent portion of them was the look that Annabeth had given me._ I gave her a chance!_ I reminded myself of the trip Rebecca and I had taken to San Fransisco, yet another instance where Rebecca had deserted me, but why? I was yet to determine just what it was that drew Rebecca so quickly away from me that day to lead her in the Camp Half-Blood dungeon. Perhaps it was the same thing that lead her away after our argument? Chiron had sworn it was Bianca di Angelo, but I had yet to breach the subject with Rebecca. Perhaps he was right after all or perhaps the day that was now so close at hand bore down on her just as fiercely as it did me. But there was no time to worry about such things. Our time together was running out.

Three days was all that we had left. Three days until the troops stormed Camp Half-Blood. Three day until my former life was obliterated. Three days until I gave my body to Kronos. In three days I would be gone and Rebecca would finally have the family she's always wanted. It just pained that this perfect life of hers couldn't include me.

…

(Rebecca's POV)

You know those mazes that kids love? The ones that their teachers give them to fill the extra time that their too lazy to fill with actual teaching? That's what the labyrinth felt like to me, except for one thing; I hate mazes! The only way I ever managed to solve those as a kid was going backwards through them with my pencil, but there was no going backwards this time. Every time I came to a crossroad I tried to see into the future to see what each way would bring, but it was no good all alone. Perhaps I should have kept Nico just a little longer to navigate through those tunnels, but what could I do? The boy was dying; he was useless. _Ambrosia could have saved him,_ I thought to myself, but it was no use debating it now. _He's gone. That's one less half-blood I have to worry about!_ But it was also one less soldier. My former ideas of overthrowing my father had been tossed to the side like a used tissue only to be replaced with my future power once my father rose and the gods of Olympus were defeated. That was my fate and I was ready to accept it.

I had remembered Luke wished me to lead the attack on Camp Half-Blood and I was more than ready to do so. So what if it meant missing the official rising of Kronos into Luke's body? And besides, I had some unfinished business with my brother that I yearned to attend to.

Although this all seemed like a great epiphany at the time it was not long before I found myself wandering aimlessly through the labyrinth unsure if I would ever find a way out.

I tried to recall a street sign, a store, anything that I had seen after Nico shadow traveled. Perhaps if I could find out where I was during my time on the surface I could attempt to navigate my way to San Francisco where Mount Othrys stood, but it was useless. Even if I had remembered something from the surface I had no compass, not even a map to read. In my frustration I found myself mumbling, "No compass, no map. Wow, great thinking Rebecca!" Shoving my hands in my jacket pockets I prepared to continue on, but then my finger brushed against something thin and crumpled. Hidden in the depths of my right-hand pocket was a piece of paper. It was small, about the size of a typical notebook. "How did…" But then it hit me. This was Alex's paper. It had been in his poetry book that I kept under my nightstand back in the castle.

With little left to loose I slumped down to the floor and leaned against the dirt walls to further inspect the writing. "A hero of the eldest gods," I read. It was a prophecy, of that I was certain, and it wasn't any ordinary prophecy; it was the Great Prophecy that my father so hoped to sway to his favour. It spoke of Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, reaching sixteen. Beyond that I knew little of the words. "And see the world in endless sleep. A hero's soul cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days. Olympus to preserve or raze." It was the last line that caught my attention. This meant the rise or fall of Olympus, the end of their reign and the beginning of Kronos's. This was the line that had grasped the attention of every Titan out there and what gave rise to the army that I now called my own.

So if this was the Great Prophecy then what was the next one? "Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death." _Another one? _It seemed Alex had access to two Great Prophecies, but how? The further I dug into the past the more questions arose. Alex had never spoken to me of any of this. Then again, he had never mentioned camp to me either. There was a time that I thought I knew everything there was to know about Alex Rideau, but now I wasn't so sure.

_What else do I not know?_ If I was wrong about Alex then surely I was wrong about other things as well. There were so many secrets kept between my father and Luke; first it was Luke's role in my father's rising, then it was Luke's history with Annabeth and Thalia, then the attack on camp, what was next?

Of course I had had my fair share of secrets, but it was my right as Kronos's daughter and the General of the Titan army.

"Quite the General you are!" A woman's voice sounded from the darkness of the tunnels ahead, a if reading my thoughts. Rising to my feet I shone the torch forwards to view the figure. She was tall and slender with long flowing black hair and a maternally smirk creeping up her cheek.

"And who are you so speech so rashly?" I ordered, readying my hand on Bluefire's hilt.

"They told me you were ignorant, but I never thought it would be to such a degree," she laughed, sending waves down the fabric of her dress. "_I _am Hera, Queen of the gods."

_Oh great,_ I thought, _Another god to try and assassinate me._ "Are you here to finish what Artemis couldn't?"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about my dear, but I do–"

"_Don't_ call me 'dear,' " I cut in.

"_Don't _interrupt," the goddess mimicked my tone. "I come bearing news."

I wanted to slice that grin right out of the lady's perfect face for that comment, but curiosity edged me to ask, "What kind of news?"

At this her face glowed with excitement. "So glad you asked! This news could be either good or bad, depending on what it is you choose to do with it. It could mean the start of a new era, or the end of your days. It could mean peace between Titans and gods, or it could mean the destruction of all."

"Just spit it out already!" But I could see the two-headed god Janus in my mind tossing a key back and forth between hands whispering, "Choose. Choose. Choose."

"In a few weeks you will start to notice changes. You, just like your father to your mother, will be able to slow the process, but it will still happen, of that I am certain. As soon as this war has ended it will begin indefinitely and your powers will be useless against it. It will be up to you how to deal with it, and I hope for the sake of us all that you choose right."

"So…what is it?" But Hera already was beginning to fade into the darkness. I tried to follow as she drew farther back into the tunnels, first at a slow walk, then picking up until I was running full tilt after her fading image, but it was no good. She was gone and I was yet again alone in the Labyrinth.


End file.
